All this talk of cake reminded me of another Hungry Onion thread, about the cake mix ladies who bake from boxed mixes in rural Alaska. The short story is that cake mixes make sweet treats possible in these remote communities. Resourceful bakers adapt the box mixes to use ingredients and add-ins they have on hand.
I also remembered a pistachio pudding cake that was popular back in the 1970’s, I think? If memory serves, said dessert involved yellow cake mix combined with a box of pistachio pudding mix. My aunt wowed the family when she introduced us to that cake!
