Dolly Parton’s 3 Ingredient Special–an easy old-fashioned dessert made with canned fruit cocktail, yellow cake mix and butter for a warm, buttery dessert. Make it in the oven or slow cooker.
Dolly Parton’s 3 Ingredient Special
This was one of those treats that I was embarrassed by how much I ate of it lol. Greg and I took this down. Even with just 3 ingredients it was surprisingly delicious. The buttery cake and fruit was delightful and, obviously, could not be easier to make. I definitely think a scoop of vanilla ice cream is a must on this dessert. (This recipe is adapted from Dolly’s cuppa cuppa cake).
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Fruit cocktail–I used fruit cocktail packed in juice.
- Yellow cake mix–or white cake mix
- Butter–no substitutions
Steps
Heat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick spray. Dump the fruit cocktail and juices into bottom of pan.
Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the top.
Slice the butter thinly and place the pieces evenly over the cake mix.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until top is golden brown. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes/Tips
- Don’t drain the fruit cocktail. Dump the fruit and all of the juice from the cans into the baking dish. The liquid is needed to help moisten the cake mix as it bakes.
- Spread the cake mix evenly: Try to get the cake mix into a fairly even layer, but don’t stir it into the fruit. I used the back of a spoon to spread it.
- Cover with butter: Slice the butter fairly thin and distribute the slices over as much of the cake mix as possible. This helps prevent dry, powdery spots on top.
- What to serve with it: I think this is best served warm with vanilla ice cream. Whipped cream is also really good.
- Leftovers: Cover the pan or transfer leftovers to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat individual servings in the microwave.
- Try another cake mix: I like yellow the best but you can also use a white cake mix.
- Try another fruit filling: Try using a can of cherry pie filling. It’s also really good! Another option is to use canned peaches if you’re not a fruit cocktail fan.
- I cut this recipe in half and made it in an 8×8 inch baking pan. The only annoying part about cutting it in half is only using half a cake mix. I guess that means I’ll have to make this again soon!
- Tools:
- Baking pan*–I like Nordic Ware brand because it does not rust
- Can opener*
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Dolly Parton’s 3 Ingredient Special
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
Description
An easy old-fashioned dessert made with canned fruit cocktail, yellow cake mix and butter for a warm, buttery dessert. Make it in the oven or slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans fruit cocktail in juice
- 1 (13.25 oz) box yellow cake mix
- 1 cup butter
Instructions
Oven Instructions
- Heat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×13 inch pan with non-stick spray. Dump the fruit cocktail and juices into bottom of pan.
- Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the top.
- Slice the butter thinly and place the pieces evenly over the cake mix.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until top is golden brown.
- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Slow Cooker Instructions:
- Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Dump the fruit cocktail and juices into the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the cake mix evenly over the top.
- Slice the butter thinly and place the pieces evenly over the cake mix.
- Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours. The top won’t get browned like it would in the oven.
- Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
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*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
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