I'yard a professional person bakery. I tried three boxed chocolate-cake mixes to run across which is the best.

three chocolate cakes with labels

I'm a professional bakery reviewing three boxed cake mixes to detect the best one.
Alana Al-Hatlani
  • I'yard a pro baker who fabricated devil'due south food cake with Pillsbury, Duncan Hines, and Betty Crocker mixes.
  • The Duncan Hines version was moist and had the strongest chocolate flavor of the three.
  • Betty Crocker's block was also moist but lacked flavor and tasted banal without frosting.

As a professional person baker, I don't ofttimes use boxed mixes, merely I appreciate how easily they bring a block together.

I tried Duncan Hines, Pillsbury, and Betty Crocker cake mixes.
Alana Al-Hatlani

I remember premade mixes are peculiarly great for beginners gaining confidence around the kitchen and also for last-minute block "emergencies."

To find the best grocery-shop option, I made the Pillsbury'south Moist Supreme, Duncan Hines' Perfectly Moist, and Betty Crocker's Super Moist versions of devil's food cake mix.

For consistency, I used the aforementioned 9-inch nonstick circular cake pans sprayed with baking spray and lined with parchment paper. All of the cake layers were baked on the center rack of my oven and mixed co-ordinate to the directions on each box.

Each mix was baked for the shortest recommended time, and all ingredients were measured using the aforementioned measurement cups. One time the cakes were cooled, I frosted all of them with the same chocolate frosting.

Hither's how they stacked up:

Kickoff up was Pillsbury'southward Moist Supreme devil's food block.

This Pillsbury cake mix required three eggs, oil, and water.
Alana Al-Hatlani

This cake mix called for three large eggs, i/2 cup of oil, and a cup of h2o.

I preheated my oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepared my pans with both nonstick cooking spray and parchment newspaper. The box said to grease only the pans, merely I swear by adding a parchment-newspaper lining. It ensures nothing sticks.

I then whisked all my moisture ingredients into the dry out mix for two minutes in a large bowl. The instructions chosen for an electric mixer, simply I don't usually drag out my KitchenAid for just two minutes of whisking. My elbow grease lone did the trick.

The concoction smelled strongly of chocolate and came together easily without clumping, despite not using an electric mixer.

I divided the batter in half, and each pan filled up to almost an inch up the side.

The Pillsbury cakes were done in near half an hour.

The Pillsbury cakes took 29 minutes to bake.
Alana Al-Hatlani

The layers baked for 29 minutes, although the box instructed up to 33. A toothpick inserted in the eye came out clean, and so I transferred the pans to a cooling rack.

The layers rose significantly and domed in the center quite a bit. The edges of the cake pulled away cleanly from the sides of the pan.

I let the cakes absurd in their pans for 15 minutes as noted in the instructions and flipped them out onto a cooling rack, where I allowed them to continue to absurd for about another xxx minutes until they were absurd to the bear upon.

The Pillsbury cake had a nice flavour, though it didn't cut very cleanly.

The Pillsbury slice was a niggling uneven.
Alana Al-Hatlani

This cake was the sweetest of the ones I tested, with a prissy chocolate season. The heart was moist, but the edges were a little dry out and crumbly.

Of the cakes tested, it besides sliced the least cleanly once stacked and frosted.

Next I made the Duncan Hines Perfectly Moist devil'southward food cake.

This Duncan Hines cake mix required three eggs, oil, and water.
Alana Al-Hatlani

This cake mix also chosen for 3 large eggs, 1/2 cup of oil, and a cup of water.

The instructions similarly had me add together all of the wet ingredients to dry, combining them for only 30 seconds. And then, at medium speed with a mixer or vigorously whisking by mitt, I was to combine for an boosted two minutes.

The concoction was extremely smooth and glossy subsequently mixing. I divided the concoction in ii again, and information technology came up 1 1/two inches up the side of the pan.

The Duncan Hines cakes looked fifty-fifty and smooth when I pulled them out of the oven.

The Duncan Hines cakes took 24 minutes to bake.
Alana Al-Hatlani

This cake was likewise broiled at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, but this time for 24 minutes, the lower end of the 24- to 29-minute range given.

When completely baked, the layers pulled abroad from the side of the pan and were noticeably more than even and flat than the Pillsbury'southward layers. The sponge felt very soft and sprang back when touched.

I likewise cooled these layers on a wire rack (this was specifically noted on the Duncan Hines instructions unlike on the Pillsbury box, which had no cooling instructions).

I discover that a wire rack helps the cakes cool faster than if yous left them on top of the oven or on a trivet.

After about 15 minutes, I flipped the layers onto the rack and let them absurd for some other 30 minutes until the tops felt house and fix.

The Duncan Hines cake slice was moist and looked dainty.

The Duncan Hines slice looked pretty fifty-fifty.
Alana Al-Hatlani

When frosted, these layers cut cleanly. Since they baked flatter, they were much easier to neatly stack, too.

As for taste, these layers were super moist, with a fluffy crumb and nice chocolate season. The block wasn't besides sweet, and it was flavorful plenty that it could easily have been enjoyed with lilliputian to no frosting.

Lastly, I made Betty Crocker's Super Moist devil's nutrient cake.

This Betty Crocker cake mix required three eggs, oil, and h2o.
Alana Al-Hatlani

This mix called for three large eggs, 1/2 loving cup of oil, and ane 1/four cup of water — a quarter cup more than both of the other mixes.

I preheated my oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit as this box instructed. It'due south also usually a practiced idea to lower the temperature by 25 degrees if you lot're using nonstick pans. Night coated and nonstick pans tend to cook cake slightly faster, specially effectually the edges.

I prepared my pans the same as the previous mixes, with both nonstick cooking spray and parchment newspaper.

I mixed my wet ingredients into the dry by hand for two minutes. The batter, a fiddling looser than the others, filled the two pans about 1 1/ii inches up the side.

These layers baked very evenly and had a shiny exterior.

The Betty Crocker cakes took 24 minutes to bake.
Alana Al-Hatlani

I broiled the layers for 25 minutes, the lower end of the 25- to 30-minute range given.

Only the box said if using a nonstick pan equally I was to add an boosted three to v minutes. This seemed completely unnecessary, at least with my oven, which was able to cook the cakes with no additional fourth dimension.

I left the cakes in their pans for 15 minutes and so flipped them onto a wire rack and allowed them to absurd for an additional 30 minutes.

I was missing the chocolate flavour in this Betty Crocker slice.

The Betty Crocker slice looked a bit underwhelming.
Alana Al-Hatlani

Ultimately, I plant the taste of these layers to be bland and lackluster.

It was very moist and had a overnice crumb and soft texture throughout, but information technology was by far the least chocolaty of the agglomeration.

The almost watered-downwards flavor makes me think that the actress quarter loving cup of water in this mix was unnecessary.

Verdict: With a moist, flavorful, and consistent result, the Duncan Hines mix takes the block.

The Duncan Hines cake was moist and chocolaty.
Alana Al-Hatlani

Equally a professional baker, I have potent opinions about what makes a expert cake.

I might not use cake mixes, simply I've certainly seen the boxed stuff fool people equally bootleg fourth dimension and fourth dimension once more, especially if y'all play around with doctoring the mixes with add-ins and frosting recipes.

When information technology comes to chocolate block, I believe the final product really needs to deliver on that chocolate flavor, which Duncan Hines did the best. It nailed that fudgy flavor without existence dense or too sweet. It was moist throughout and baked off evenly.

Although Pillsbury also had practiced flavor, it seemed to endure from the cardinal cake sin: dryness. The layers were noticeably more domed than the others — as a effect, the edges of the cake baked dry out and crumbly fifty-fifty though the eye was perfectly cooked. Information technology also resulted in a less clean last slice of cake when frosted.

The Betty Crocker cake had a swell fluffy texture that was maybe fifty-fifty better than Duncan Hines'. But it was quite banal. I didn't taste much chocolate, and information technology relied on the frosting to make it taste succulent.

Deal icon An icon in the shape of a lightning bolt.

Keep reading

Features Freelancer Cake