Like a majority of Americans, Ree Drummond has always been a fan of Dolly Parton. She even met her once! “I am such an enormous fan,” Ree said. “I have been since I was a little girl. I had the little record of ‘Coat of Many Colors,’ and I wore it out.” She called Dolly both “amazing” and “a gift,” which pretty much sums up how the whole country feels.
Ree’s fandom goes beyond the music, too. She loves Steel Magnolias (honestly, who doesn’t?) and references it often in her old blog posts. If you’ve seen it, you probably remember Dolly’s “Cuppa Cuppa Cake”—or, more accurately, the “Cuppa Cuppa Cuppa Cake.” And well, okay, it’s not exactly Dolly’s recipe. It belongs to her character, Truvy. Regardless, did you know it’s a real recipe?
In the scene, Truvy states that it is so simple that “you don’t need to write that down. That’s a cup of flour, a cup of sugar, a cup of fruit cocktail with the juice. And you mix and bake at 350 until golden bubbly.” Well, guess who wrote that down and tried it? Ree did, back in 2011. She even made a double batch!
Much like her dump cake recipe, “the cake is painfully, ridiculously, unabashedly easy to throw together,” Ree said. She mixed self-rising flour, sugar, and a whole can of fruit cocktail, then baked it until “golden bubbly,” just like Truvy said to. “The verdict? It was really yummy. Warm, uncomplicated… definitely under the ‘comfort food’ umbrella,” she concluded.
Now, both Truvy and Ree warn: The resulting dessert is very sweet. Truvy served it with vanilla ice cream to cut the sweetness. Ree’s suggestion is unsweetened whipped cream, which she said is a “vital part of the experience; it changed the flavor of the cake by taking away that cloying sweetness that otherwise makes it ‘too much.’”
If you’re in the mood for a little comfort these days, why don’t you give it a try? Ree jokes that “it took exactly ninety seconds to get it in the oven,” so it’s an easy way to treat yourself and also a sweet little tribute to the Queen of Country.
AnnMarie Mattila is the Senior Editor for The Pioneer Woman, covering a wide range of topics from food and cooking to home, beauty, style, and more.
