The Best Boxed Cake Mixes, According to Our Taste Test

Boxed cake combine is a pantry traditional for a cause: It delivers a crowd-pleasing cake with nearly no effort. The fundamentals haven’t modified a lot since John D. Duff of P. Duff and Sons, a now-shuttered molasses firm in Pittsburgh, invented and patented pre-packaged cake combine within the early Thirties. Made with enriched flour, leaveners, flavorings, and starch, the combination wanted little greater than eggs and oil to make a fast cake. But not all boxed mixes bake (or style) alike. To discover the very best for all handy baking wants, we tried six of the most well-liked boxed cake mixes facet by facet. Here’s what we discovered.

How we chosen the cake mixes

Walk down the baking aisle and also you’ll discover loads of boxed cake mixes. While there are a number of scrumptious taste choices like chocolate, Funfetti, and even pumpkin spice, we selected yellow cake combine for its total reputation and flexibility. Although gluten-free mixes are more and more out there, we examined solely common cake mixes to maintain outcomes constant.

How we examined

We ready and baked every cake combine in accordance with its bundle instructions. Every combine referred to as for eggs (one model required another egg than the others) however the requested fats diverse, with some specifying vegetable or impartial oil whereas others referred to as for softened or melted butter. The liquids additionally differed: Some mixes required water, others referred to as for milk. When milk was specified, we used complete milk. All the manufacturers included instructions for sheet truffles and cupcakes, however we determined the fairest comparability was to bake each as a single-layer cake in a typical 8-inch spherical aluminum cake pan. Each cake was baked on the middle rack of a typical oven at 350℉ to the earliest really helpful bake time and till a toothpick inserted into the middle got here out clear. We additionally made certain all of the truffles had been correctly cooled so our editors might pattern them plain (no frosting) at room temperature.

Our editors tasted the truffles with the manufacturers hid, in random order, score taste and texture and assigning an total rating on a scale of 1 to 5. We averaged these scores to find out the winners. For taste, we thought of vanilla depth, stability of sweetness, and simply how a lot we loved the style. We additionally screened for off-putting traits frequent in boxed mixes akin to waxy, chalky, or chemical notes. Texture got here all the way down to crumb measurement and uniformity and the way these traits affected tenderness. Moisture mattered too. We wished a moist cake, however not so moist that it turned sticky or gummy when eaten.

Food & Wine / General Mills

Best total: Betty Crocker Favorites Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix

Betty Crocker, a General Mills model, debuted its yellow cake mix in 1952and 73 years later its mild vanilla taste and stellar texture make it our unanimous take a look at winner. The crumb is delicate and tender; a number of editors stated it melts in your mouth. “So light, fluffy, and nicely moist,” stated Creative Director Winslow Taft. For Executive Editor Karen Shimizu, the melt-away texture remembers a Japanese castella cake. While some truffles within the lineup endure a powerful, air freshener–like aftertaste, this cake’s butteriness retains the floral notes in test.

This cake hit completely different wishes for our editors. For some, it retains the nostalgic flavors of a celebratory celebration cake. “It tastes like third grade in the best way,” stated senior Creative Video Producer Chloe Gebacz. For others, it branches out from that old-school taste. Managing Editor Caitlin Miller described it as a “sophisticated, lighter cake.” We debated whether or not this ethereal deal with might stand as much as thick, store-bought frosting. But as an unfrosted snacking cake — the way in which we tasted it — it’s the clear winner.

Food & Wine / Conagra Brands

Best for birthdays: Dolly Parton’s Favorite Yellow Cake Mix

In 2022, the “Queen of Country” partnered with Duncan Hines on a line of boxed cake mixes and frostings. Unlike the Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix (which we additionally examined), Dolly’s Southern-style combine requires 4 giant eggs as a substitute of three plus 1/2 cup of melted butter. The cake is denser, with a taste of toasted milk powder — suppose diner pancakes — that retains us coming again for extra. Some editors famous how they loved the browning on the perimeters, which had a caramel-like taste. This cake’s firmer crumb is right for birthday truffles as a result of it could stand as much as each selfmade and store-bought frostings and toppings, akin to sprinkles or recent fruit. We additionally advocate baking it in a Bundt pan for a cake that tastes identical to Grandma’s.

Food & Wine / ALDI

Best price range: Baker’s Corner Extra Moist Classic Yellow Cake Mix

Aldi’s private-label boxed combine didn’t lead the pack, nevertheless it nonetheless met many of the standards we had been on the lookout for. It was velvety, and although it had an oilier end, its lush texture was good to eat. Unlike the opposite truffles, which had a simple vanilla taste, this one tasted extra like candy cream and cake batter, nearly like Funfetti slightly than a pure vanilla cake. But at $1.25 a field, it’s a complete steal and an excellent canvas for selfmade baking upgrades like a contact of bitter cream for tang or a swirl of melted chocolate for richness.

Food & Wine / General Mills

Most nostalgic: Pillsbury Moist Supreme Yellow Cake Mix

Here’s the factor about boxed cake: People crave that ultra-sweet slice that doesn’t style selfmade. Pillsbury hit that craving proper on the pinnacle. This cake was by far the sweetest of the bunch and had probably the most distinguished vanillin taste — it tasted synthetic, however that doesn’t imply it didn’t style good. “Tastes like a very classic boxed cake mix. I could easily imagine this one being a hit at a kid’s party,” stated Shimizu. The texture was tender and springy, and though not as melt-in-your-mouth because the Betty Crocker combine, it was nonetheless moist and fluffy, good for dump truffles or cupcakes.