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The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen baked up 11 nationally available yellow cake mixes in 9-inch rounds (the only size all mixes had in common), and along with our consumer testers, chowed down to find the tastiest.
First Place: King Arthur Flour All-Natural Golden Vanilla Cake Mix ($4.95 for two 9-inch rounds) Tasters loved the King's cake for its not-too-sweet, homemade flavor with a hint of maple, although some found the texture to be a tad dry and "a little gritty." This cake mix is available at grocery stores and through King Arthur Flour - the Baker's Catalogue. (kingarthurflour.com) 320 calories and 16 grams of fat (6 grams of saturated fat) per 1/14th of a baked cake.
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Honorable Mention #1: |
Honorable Mention #2: |
Pillsbury Moist Supreme Classic Yellow Premium Cake Mix($1.49 for two 9-inch rounds) In general our volunteers enjoyed this yellow cake, in spite of the gummy texture. One taster wrote that it "tastes just like a birthday cake should." 250 calories and 11 grams of fat (2.5 grams of saturated fat) per 1/12th of a baked cake.
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JIFFY Golden Yellow Cake Mix($0.60 to $0.70 for one 9-inch round) Participants couldn't agree on whether they liked this cake's "light and fluffy" texture, but most felt that the "flavor could be richer" and that it was "synthetic tasting." Note: You'll need two mixes to make a layer cake. 220 calories and 4.5 grams of fat (1 gram of saturated fat) per 1/5th of a baked cake.
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Betty Crocker SuperMoist Yellow Cake Mix($1.99 for two 9-inch rounds) While some of our testers thought this cake was moist with a "really light, nice texture," most felt that it was spongy and had a "very fake cake flavor." 230 calories and 9 grams of fat (2 grams of saturated fat) per 1/12th of a baked cake. |
Dr. Oetker Organic Vanilla Cake Mix($3.59 for two 9-inch rounds)When we baked this cake according to the package's minimum cooking time, the cakes collapsed and got far too brown. We cooked our second batch for less time, but some tasters still disliked its dense texture, which was "like a cross between cornbread and pastry." Others, however, said it had the "most homemade flavor" and appreciated that it was "not too sweet." 248 calories and 11.51 grams of fat (2.04 grams of saturated fat) per 1/12th of a baked cake.
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Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Classic Yellow Cake Mix($1.69 for two 9-inch rounds) Some of our testers found this cake's "bouncy texture" and "weird aftertaste" off-putting, while others enjoyed its light airiness and "great yellow color." 270 calories and 12 grams of fat (2.5 grams of saturated fat) per 1/12th of a baked cake.
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Betty Crocker SuperMoist Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix($1.99 for two 9-inch rounds) Opinions were divided on whether this cake was "springy and moist" or "crumbly and a little dry," but most thought the flavor was "too buttery" and a little "boring." 250 calories and 10 grams of fat (6 grams of saturated fat) per 1/12th of a baked cake.
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Naturally Nora Sunny Yellow Cake Mix($3.29 for two 9-inch rounds) Tasters found this cake's texture to be dry and heavy and the flavor to be "sweet and bland at the same time." 280 calories and 11.7 grams of fat (2.4 grams of saturated fat) per 1/12th of a baked cake. |
Cherrybrook Kitchen Yellow Cake Mix($4.99 for two 9-inch rounds) Participants were disappointed with this dense dairy-free, egg-free, and nut-free cake, which "doesn't taste like cake" and had a dark brown color rather than the yellow hue most were expecting. (Visit cherrybrookkitchen.com to find stores) 180 calories and 2.5 grams of fat (1.5 grams of saturated fat) per 1/12th of a baked cake.
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- saturated fat
- King Arthur Flour
