On the long list of things I love, Dolly Parton and chocolate cake rank pretty high. Baking from scratch, on the other hand, is quite a long way off. In fact, it might even be on the list of things I don’t like very much at all. It’s not that I don’t enjoy it – I’m just not very good at it. I guess I could practice and get better, but why? Why would I spend all that time and energy measuring and mixing when Dolly and Duncan Hines have an entire line of baking mixes that are practically foolproof? After rolling out of bed and stumbling to the kitchen, you don’t have to work from 9 to 5 to bake a beautiful chocolate cake.
Dolly Parton adds Duncan Hines baking mixes to her line
While the collaboration between the country music legend and Duncan Hines isn’t new, Dolly’s latest batch of mixes is hitting store shelves for the first time. Mixes new to this release include Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Frosting, Yellow Cake Mix, Cinnamon Crumb Cake Mix, Blueberry Muffin Mix, and Banana Muffin Mix. In addition to her baking line, Dolly recently launched a buttermilk pancake mix, marking her first foray into the breakfast food world.
Dolly Parton x Duncan Hines takes the cake
When I heard that Dolly and Duncan Hines had added a chocolate cake mix and chocolate frosting to her line of baking products, I knew I had to try it. I’ve never met a chocolate cake I didn’t like, and I have a bit of a sweet tooth, so the timing was perfect. I got out my mixing bowl, 13×9 inch pan, and whisk and got to work.
The directions on the box call for 4 eggs, 1 1/2 cups water, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, and 8 tablespoons melted butter, so I rounded up the ingredients before mixing everything together. I was a little surprised at the amount of butter and oil, but thought it was better than questioning the recipe for “The Valley’s Favorite Chocolate Cake.”
The cake mix mixed easily with all the other ingredients and even though I know you’re not supposed to taste uncooked cake batter with raw eggs, I did and it was good. I greased the pan according to the instructions on the box, then poured in the batter. The box recommends 30 to 32 minutes of cooking time for the pan I used, but after 32 minutes I did the clean toothpick test and the toothpick was nowhere near clean. I put it back in the oven for another 4 minutes and it still wasn’t clean so I put it back in for another 2 minutes. After a total of 38 minutes, the cake was ready.
I let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes before carefully removing it. It came out of the pan relatively easily and I let it cool for another hour before trying to ice it. When I finally broke through the frosting, it was easier than I expected. I mixed it well and then spread it on; I was surprised to find that it really didn’t take long. It was finally time to enjoy the fruits of my (minimal) labor.
Since this wasn’t a homemade cake from scratch, my expectations were low, but I was delighted to find that the cake was good – like, really good. Like, you wouldn’t know it came out of the box unless someone told you, okay. The cake was chocolate and the frosting was sweet without being too sweet. I had mine with vanilla ice cream and it was as close to perfection as you can get from a baking mix. Dolly has always done things right, and her baking mixes are proof that she always will.
This post originally appeared on The Kitchen. See it there: I tried Duncan Hines’ latest “favorite” Dolly Parton Chocolate Cake Mix and I’m never baking from scratch again