Cake mixes are perfect for when you want a sweet treat but don't have it in you to bake a whole cake from scratch. Whether it's a birthday party or simply a treat-yourself moment, an easy cake mix that you can add a few things to and pop into the oven is hard to beat! The question is, which brand of cake mix will result in the most delicious cake? We tried three top brands to see for ourselves which is the best cake mix.
The three brands we compared were Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, and Duncan Hines. These classic boxed cake mixes are considered some of the best, most classic options when you're looking to bake a cake, and all you need to add is eggs, water, and vegetable oil. They come in many flavors, like vanilla cake, brownies, funfetti, red velvet cake, devil's food cake, pound cake, and more. Why follow a whole cake recipe when you can have one ready from a box in under 30 minutes?
We Battled Yellow Cake Mixes
Lydia Greene
We decided to go with yellow cake mix since this is a classic flavor that's essentially the same as vanilla cake mix. We topped each cake with the same icing and sprinkles for consistency, choosing chocolate icing and rainbow sprinkles. Here are our results of this sweet taste test:
3. Pillsbury
Lydia Greene
Pillsbury has always been a go-to for bakers looking to make an easy, delicious recipe. Their yellow cake mix was tasty as expected, but if I'm being honest, it was a little too sweet for my taste. However, since I'm someone who loves dark chocolate and often prefers my sweet treats less sweet than most, the sweetness level of Pillsbury is probably perfect for some!
Aside from its flavor, the Pillsbury cake had an amazingly spongy texture, the ideal moist cake texture that one wants in a birthday cake. The spongy texture and sweet flavor went great with the chocolate frosting, and I imagine that it would be delicious with buttercream or another flavor of frosting as well. Overall, Pillsbury yellow cake mix is a solid choice when it comes to choosing a box of cake mix, but its flavor is a bit too sweet, causing it to come in third.
2. Duncan Hines
Lydia Greene
Duncan Hines is another classic choice for a cake mix, and you can buy their mixes at the grocery store, Walmart, or online on Amazon. While you can make the cake batter into a layer cake, bundt cake or cupcakes, I went with sheet cakes for all three of my yellow cakes. The Duncan Hines yellow cake has a subtle vanilla flavor that blended deliciously with the chocolate flavor of the icing.
As for the texture, it was light and fluffy in a delectable way. The only downside to how fluffy it was is that it did fall apart a bit when I took it out of the pan. This might have been my fault, or maybe the Duncan Hines cake mix could use a little bit more firmness in its texture. Because of this, Duncan Hines didn't make the cut for the best yellow cake mix. However, it was still delectable and would be ideal for any occasion.
1. Betty Crocker
Lydia Greene
Betty Crocker's yellow cake mix tasted very similar to Duncan Hines, with a subtle touch of sugary vanilla. It also tasted yummy with the chocolate frosting and rainbow sprinkles. If you're looking for a basic yellow cake to celebrate a special occasion, Betty Crocker cake mix is definitely a crowd-pleaser.
Its texture was light and fluffy overall, but was a little firmer and spongier than that of Duncan Hines. This allowed the cake to stay together better when being transported. Because of its perfect flavor and fluffy but firm texture, Betty Crocker takes the cake (haha) when it comes to the best cake mix!
