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You could say this box mix takes the cake.
By
Sarra Sedghi
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/image_from_ios-2-c063844cf01b48d19120f1775ad7b882.jpg "We Tried 9 Kinds of Yellow Cake Mix and This Was Our Favorite (1)")
Sarra Sedghi
Sarra Sedghi is an Associate Editor at Allrecipes and is based in Birmingham, Alabama. In 2017 she graduated with a Master's of Fine Arts in Narrative Media Writing from the University of Georgia. Her work has also appeared in Atlas Obscura, Eater, Polygon, Thrillist, and Paste Magazine. She is an American-Iranian hybrid and large dog enthusiast, and is very loosely working on a memoir.
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Published on September 26, 2021
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Vanilla cakes are distinguished by whether or not they use an entire egg. The humble egg makes a huge effect on how the batter will metamorphose into cake; simply incorporating egg whites will yield an airy, delicate result like sponge cake or angel food cake, while adding yolks will make a cake moist, fluffy, and most noticeably of all, yellow.
And who doesn't love yellow cake? Nothing against white cake or chocolate, spice cake, or any other flavor of cake out there, but something about yellow cake feels reliable. It fits in anywhere, from a child's birthday party to a wedding reception or an unexpected stormy day of vacation. It is familiar and fluffy, delicious and dependable.
But which boxed yellow cake mix stands above the rest? We baked nine different yellow cake mixes, all available at grocery stores or online, to find out which was the best.
Best Yellow Cake Mix at a Glance
Best Yellow Cake Mix: Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Classic Yellow Cake Mix
Runner-Up: Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix
Best Budget Yellow Cake Mix: Great Value Deluxe Moist Yellow Cake Mix
Best Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix: King Arthur Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix and 365 by Whole Foods Market Gluten Free Classic Yellow Cake Mix
Best Organic Yellow Cake Mix: Annie's Organic Classic Yellow Cake Mix
What We Looked For When Tasting Yellow Cake Mix
Moisture: A dry yellow cake is a sad yellow cake. The whole point of using yolks in cake is to add moisture, so the ideal boxed yellow cake definitely isn't dry.
Flavor: Boxed yellow cake mix, by nature, is sweet, but you don't want something so saccharine it cues a hyperglycemic headache. The ideal boxed yellow cake mix balances that sweetness with the eggs — and yolks — that give yellow cake its signature hue.
Price: A boxed cake mix shouldn't be extravagantly priced; if it's a few dollars more than the usual, it should at least live up to its value.
How We Tasted Each Yellow Cake Mix
I baked nine cakes in one day and broke the cakes down into categories such as "gluten-free mixes" and "most popular mixes." When all the cakes in a particular category were cooked and cooled, I tasted them (and offered them to unsuspecting maintenance crew members in the building) and noted any distinguishing factors. If I needed to take more notes, then I ate more cake. Additionally, we tested these cakes in their natural state, sans-frosting, to better understand them and make more objective judgments.
Best Yellow Cake Mix: Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist Classic Yellow Cake Mix
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Out of all the cakes tested, Duncan Hines' yellow cake mix had the best balance of flavor. It boasts some buttery notes and isn't overly sweet, which is especially important if you plan on topping it with some chocolate frosting. Also, as the box promises, Duncan Hines' box mix is perfectly moist.
Buy it: $1.00; Walmart
Runner-Up: Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix
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Big brands are household names for a reason, and some could ultimately say the battle for the top spot in this taste test was one between Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, and Pillsbury. Betty Crocker's Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix has a marvelous texture, but the flavor balance skews towards the sweeter side. This mix definitely beats Pillsbury's, but it's not quite at Duncan Hines' level.
Buy it: $1.08; Walmart
Best Budget Yellow Cake Mix: Great Value Deluxe Moist Yellow Cake Mix
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I wasn't expecting much from this particular box mix, but Walmart's in-house brand continues to surprise me. This cake delivered in the moisture department, and it had a pretty enjoyable flavor, especially when compared to Jiffy (you also get twice as much cake with Great Value, so technically it's the better value). It's very heavy on artificial sweetness, which keeps it ranked lower than the top brands.
Buy it: $0.96; Walmart
Best Gluten-Free Yellow Cake Mix: King Arthur Gluten Free Yellow Cake Mix
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Both King Arthur and Whole Foods 365 make solid yellow cake mix (in fact, I preferred 365's gluten-free mix over the standard yellow). I'm personally very attached to King Arthur's gluten-free because I've had it before and its mixing process is a little less finicky than 365's. It's also more than twice the cost. (I don't recommend buying these online because the prices are gauged — King Arthur's mix is going for $75 on walmart.com, for example.) Again, both of these mixes yield beautiful cakes, but they require more money, more work, more ingredients, and more attention to detail.
Buy it: $6.99; Thrive Market and $3.49; Whole Foods Market
Best Organic Yellow Cake Mix: Annie's Organic Classic Yellow Cake Mix
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I'll admit that this was the only organic yellow cake mix in the roundup, but it stood out as the only mix that had a more natural sweetness. Instead of saccharine notes, this cake's sweetness is more reminiscent of honey or iced tea.
Buy it: $5.16; Walmart
Related:
- 6 Easy Desserts That Start With a Box of Cake Mix
- This Stunning Rainbow Roll Cake Is the Best Use For Boxed Cake Mix
- Our Soda and Cake Mix Baking Guide
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