The best box cake mix yields desserts so yummy, it could convince any unsuspecting person that the cake was made from scratch. Cakes made with the best cake mix should be rich, fluffy, and comforting—without relying on nostalgia alone to taste good. Most importantly, the best box cake mix doesn’t taste artificial… even when it’s loaded up with artificial ingredients.
Boxed cake mix might seem like a baking shortcut, but with so many options out there, how are you supposed to know which brands deliver the ideal slice of moist, flavorful cake? I mean, who would be crazy enough to actually bake dozens and dozens of boxed cake mixes, eat them side by side, and rank them worst to best?
It’s us. We do that. We’re the nutcases with way too much time on our hands, apparently. So grab a fork and get ready—here are the best boxed cake mixes you can buy, ranked by us and updated as we continue to shovel more cakes and desserts into our mouths.
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- Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge
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If you can never get enough chocolate, Betty Crocker’s Triple Chocolate Fudge is the best box cake mix of the bunch. (Honestly? Even if you prefer chocolate in small doses, this will still have your mouth watering.) The cake mix uses pudding and delectable melted chocolate chips to give every forkful extra richness—though, to be clear, the cake itself isn’t too dense. It’s light and fluffy and somehow still decadent and super chocolately. As Sporked writer Hebba Gouda describes it, “Something about this boxed chocolate cake mix produced a cake that smelled half like chocolate, half like campfire, and tasted like one bite would never be enough.” A cake mix that can inspire literal poetry? Sign me up.
Read our full ranking of the best chocolate cake mix
Credit: Liv Averett / Target
- Dolly Parton’s Southern Style Coconut Cake Mix
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If there’s one thing Dolly will never do, it’s disappoint us. Her Southern Style Coconut Cake Mix earned a resounding 10/10 Sporks, and for good reason: Sporked taste-tester Jordan Myrick called it “the best rendition of a coconut-flavored food I’ve ever had from a package.” Not to set the bar too low, but coconut dessert products tend to taste like body wash and candles. But this is downright delicious. The cake is airy, light, with a balanced sweetness and real coconut flavor. Jordan also said it would be the best cake mix to serve to their coconut -cake- loving grandma, and I really can’t think of a better endorsement than that.
Read our review of Dolly Parton’s Cake Mixes
Credit: Liv Averett / Amazon
- King Arthur Gluten Free Chocolate Mix
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This is the best boxed cake mix for the gluten free folks—but you have to trust the process. The batter might seem a little thin and bland out of the box, but something happens in the baking process (pure sorcery?) that transforms it into a rich, flavorful masterpiece. The sweet, bright cake balances out the slightly bitter bite of chocolate, and the fluffy texture is pretty darn good for being gluten-free. (The teeny-tiny bit of grit is barely noticeable, especially thanks to the great flavor.) We kept coming back to this one—and we know you will, too.
Read our full ranking of the best gluten free cake mix
Credit: Liv Averett / King Arthur
- King Arthur Gluten Free Fudge Brownie Mix
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You were probably expecting to see Ghirardelli snag the win here, but no. King Arthur, a top-notch baking brand also known for their amazing gluten-free box mixes (please see above), came in with a gluten free brownie mix so good, it outdid the mixes that do contain gluten. These brownies are melt-in-your-mouth fudgy and moist, but still fluffy and lighter than you would expect. For once, you can serve a crowd-pleasing dessert option at a party that your gluten-free friends don’t have to worry about avoiding.
Read our full ranking of the best brownie mix
Credit: Liv Averett / King Arthur
Best Chocolate Cake
Best Dolly Parton Cake Mix
Best Gluten Free Cake Mix
Best Brownie Mix
Thoughts? Questions? Complete disagreement? Leave a comment!