Supermarket Standoff: Yellow Cake Mix

We have embarked on a taste test tour of supermarket foods. We nibble (or sip), we score, and we share the results to help you avoid the paralysis of Brand Choice Overload. Today's topic: yellow cake mix.

Conde Nast Digital Studio/Gourmet Product Photos by: Christine Clark

We reside pretty firmly in the homemade-is-better camp, making our tender coconut cakes, decadent chocolate cakes, and delicately-tangy lemon cakes from scratch. But it must be said: We love straight-from-the-box yellow cake. Blame those formative years of bake sales and classmates birthday parties. As one of our test kitchen staffers concedes: "I could make my own yellow cake, but why? It just wouldn't be the same."

But going the boxed route is no excuse not to be discriminating. Which is why our staffers blind taste-tested and ranked eight nationwide brands, taking sometimes two or three (okay, or maybe even four) bites of each cake before settling on their rankings. (What can we say? We're very serious about research here at Bon Appetit.) Check out our picks--the ol' standbys clearly held a place in our hearts--and compare them to nutritionist Marissa Lippert's recommendations

Our Favorites for Flavor

#1 Betty Crocker Super Moist Yellow Cake Mix

Nutrition: One serving (1/12 pkg/ 43g) = 160 calories, 1.5g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 280mg sodium, 35g total carbs, 19g sugar, 1g protein.

Ingredients: Sugar, Enriched Flour Bleached (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and/or Cottonseed Oil, Dextrose, Modified Corn Starch, Corn Starch, Baking Soda, Propylene Glycol Monoesters of Fatty Acids, Salt, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Monocalcium Phosphate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Distilled Monoglycerides, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, Datem, Xanthan Gum, Monoglycerides, Artificial Flavor, Aluminum Sulfate, Colored With (Yellow 5&6, Artificial Color), Nonfat Milk.

Cost: $2.99 at Morton Williams in NYC.

Our assessment: "Tastes like Betty Crocker" (wonder why) "Yum. Yellow cake mix flavor" "Artificial tasting. Moist."

#2 Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Classic Yellow Cake Mix

Nutrition: One serving (1/12 pkg/ 43g) = 170 calories, 3.5g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 1g polyunsaturated fat, 1g monounsaturated, 0mg cholesterol, 270mg sodium, 34g total carbs, 19g sugar, 1g protein.

Ingredients: Sugar, Enriched Bleached Wheat Flour (Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Vegetable Oil Shortening (Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Propylene Glycol Mono- and Diesters Of Fats, Monoand Diglycerides), Leavening (Sodium Bicarbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, Sodium Aluminum Phosphat E, Monocalcium Phosphate). Contains 2% Or Less Of: Wheat Starch, Salt, Dextrose, Polyglycerol Esters Of Fatty Acids, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Cellulose Gum, Artificial Flavors, Xanthan Gum, Maltodextrin, Modified Cornstarch, Colored with (Yellow 5 Lake, Red 40 Lake).

Cost: $2.49 at Fairway in NYC.

Our assessment: "Tastes the way that yellow cake should." "Pretty yellow. I know this is like Duncan Hines or something, but it's the kind of cake I grew up with so I like it." "Okay. Like batter."

#3 Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic Yellow Cake Mix

Nutrition: One serving (1/12 pkg/ 43g) = 170 calories, 3.5g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 290mg sodium, 35g total carbs, 21g sugar, 1g protein.

Ingredients: Sugar, enriched flour bleached (wheat flour, niacin, iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), partially hydrogenated vegetable oil (soybean and/or cottonseed oil), wheat starch, baking powder (baking soda, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, dicalcium phosphate), contains 2% or less of each of the following: dextrose, corn starch, salt, propylene glycol mono- and diesters of fatty acids, mono- and diglycerides, cellulose, artificial flavor, xanthan gum, cellulose gum, colored with yellow 5 and red 40, polysorbate 60, whey protein concentrate, soy lecithin, sodium phosphate. Contains wheat, milk and soy.

Cost: $2.49 at Fairway in NYC.

Our assessment: "This tastes like every cake I've ever had." "Fake vanilla-y in a good way." "Weird aftertaste".

Nutritionist Marissa Lippert's Picks

Some comments from Lippert: Right off the bat, I was able to exclude a good handful of the brands tested because of partially hydrogenated oils in their ingredient lists (hydrogenated fats can increase 'bad' ( LDL) cholesterol while lowering 'good' (HDL) cholesterol. Artificial flavors and coloring also discredited a number of the cake mixes. Left remaining, we've got: Cherrybrook Kitchen, Dr. Oetker, Arrowhead Mills and Trader Joe's, all of which have very similar ingredients - though Trader Joe's has sugar listed as the first, most prominent ingredients, as opposed to flour. Dr. Oetker, Cherry Kitchen and Arrowhead Mills are all in the same boat, Dr. Oetker and Arrowhead boast organic flour and sugar, so they get a bit of a bump. As a quick side note, Arrowhead Mills' 'organic enriched unbleached white flour' essentially means wheat flour.

#1 Dr. Oetker Organics

Nutrition: One serving (1/12 pkg/ 38g) = 140 calories, 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 280mg sodium, 32g total carbs, 18g sugar, 1g protein.

Ingredients: Organic enriched wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), organic cane sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, organic locust bean gum, organic vanilla flavor (contains gum arabic), natural flavor.

Cost: $3.79 at Fairway in NYC.

Our Assessment: Nearly everyone thought this tasted like cornbread, though one person said "banana bread minus bananas." It wasn't a bad taste, but it ranked near the end because it didn't taste like cake to us.

#2 Arrowhead Mills Organic Vanilla

Nutrition: One serving (1/12 pkg/ 43g) = 160 calories, 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 140mg sodium, 37g total carbs, 20g sugar, 2g protein.

Ingredients: organic enriched unbleached white flour (organic flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, ribflavin, folic acid), organic granulated evaporated cane juice, baking powder, natural flavor, sea salt, xanthan gum.

Cost: $3.99 at Fairway in NYC.

Our Assessment: This ranked dead last for flavor. Ouch. Again, though, it wasn't because it was a bad taste but rather because it didn't taste like the yellow cake we know, love, and expect. "Bland but okay." "Too white." "Tastes like plain pasta."

#3 Cherrybrook Kitchen Cake Mix

Nutrition: One serving (1/12 pkg/ 39g) = 140 calories, 0g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0g trans fat, 0mg cholesterol, 150mg sodium, 34g total carbs, 21g sugar, 1g protein.

Ingredients: Unbleached Flour [Wheat Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid], Evaporated Cane Juice, Granulated Brown Sugar, All Natural Vanilla Flavor, Non-alluminated Baking Powder, Sea Salt.

Cost: $4.50 at Whole Foods Market in NYC.

Our Assessment: Out of the three healthy cakes (oxymoron?), this did the best. "Tastes homemade almost--moist. Color is natural and appealing." "Tastes healthy, but not in a bad way." "A little play doh-y".

In most past Supermarket Standoff Taste Tests we've seen some overlap between a nutritionist's picks and our favorites for flavor. Here there were none, which goes to show that you have to weigh your priorities the next time you need to turn out a quick birthday cake.

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