The Worst Dolly Parton Cake Mix Tastes Like Laffy Taffy

Let's be honest: Baking a cake from scratch is daunting, especially for a novice baker. After all, there are plenty of cake baking mistakes you can make. From not properly measuring flour to selecting the wrong ingredients to keep your cake moist, it's no surprise that people usually forgo making these desserts at home. Luckily, there's no need to stress yourself out trying to make a cake that tastes like it came from a bakery when you can buy one from your favorite bakery instead. But if you really insist on making one yourself you should try using packaged cake mixes. Not only are they quick and easy to make, but you can recreate any type of cake you want since they come in an array of flavors. However, not all boxed cake mixes produce delicious cakes. In fact, some create awful cakes that will leave you less than impressed. And one cake mix you should stay away from is Dolly Parton's banana cake mix.

This cake mix has such an off-putting flavor that when Tasting Table ranked Dolly Parton baking mixes, it placed last. You know that ridiculously strong artificial banana flavor present in a banana Laffy Taffy? Well, that's the exact flavor that immediately coats your tongue when you bite into this cake. Unfortunately, this cake relied too heavily on banana flavoring. So much so, that it's the only thing you taste. And each bite of cake gives off a weird plastic-like aftertaste mixed with a heavy-handed pour of banana extract. Unless you love banana Laffy Taffy, you'll probably despise this cake. 

Surprisingly enough, this cake mix features real bananas. In fact, dehydrated banana flakes are listed as a main ingredient. Duncan Hines even describes these flakes as "small thin pieces of water removed bananas." However, they don't disclose how much of it the mix uses. It's possible they used way too much, and that's why their cake is plagued with a pungent artificial banana flavor.

At first glance, the box does a great job of making this cake look delicious. Along with enticing banana lovers to try it, the packaging encourages you to use the mix to recreate two Dolly Parton banana cake recipes. You have the option to make her favorite banana cake or extra special banana pudding cake. However, looks aren't everything because your baked creations will most likely taste nothing like their homemade counterparts. Why? Well, by itself, the banana flavor of this cake is severely overpowering. It desperately needs help subduing that massive flaw.

Compared to the other products in the Duncan Hines Dolly Parton line, this cake poorly balances the strong flavors and fails to highlight the other top-notch ingredients it mentions like the brown sugar and buttermilk flavoring. You truly wouldn't know either of these things were present in the cake if you didn't thoroughly read the box. This cake would probably taste a lot better if you added a smooth chocolate buttercream or a flavored royal icing. Although Duncan Hines is a beloved brand, it completely missed the mark with this boxed cake mix. However, the company did manage to create a beautiful light, airy sponge cake that would have been a delight to eat if it wasn't for its unpleasant flavor. You're honestly better off trying the chocolate or yellow cakes, which ranked much higher.