The chocolate flavor of this cake verged more on the milk chocolate end of the spectrum instead of bitter dark chocolate. This slightly sweeter taste would likely be a hit among kids, especially when topped with a delicious homemade frosting like this peanut butter buttercream. There’s nothing wrong with baking up a cake mix at home for a satisfying dessert, but with just a little effort you can transform a box of your preferred mix into a treat that tastes 100% homemade. With just a few additions, like pudding mix, you can make these basic mixes into even better cakes like our top-rated Chocolate Comfort Cake or Yummy Chocolate Cake.

Most crucial in this test (and all of our taste tests) is flavor. Just like with its brownie mix, Ghirardelli delivered on big chocolate flavor. This cake had a great dark chocolate flavor with hints of vanilla. The cake wasn’t too sweet which really let these distinctive flavors shine. This is definitely a mix to keep in your cupboard for chocolate emergencies and last-minute desserts. It can be hard to get gluten-free bakes right, but Krusteaz delivered here. The rich chocolate taste and airy texture were so good that it even fooled a few members of our staff into thinking it was a traditional cake mix (now, that’s high praise for GF!). Also, find out the best yellow cake mix.This cake hit all the marks: It was moist and tender—exactly the texture you want when you think chocolate cake. It also had the appropriate amount of lift—not too dense, not too airy. When you slice into a birthday cake, this is the type of cake you want to see. After eating 10 slices of cake, our Test Kitchen chose four brands they’d be happy to keep in their pantry. Best Chocolate Cake Mix Overall: Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Cake Mix We don’t want to say that Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Cake Mix was better than homemade, but our Test Kitchen thinks it gives scratch-made cakes a run for their money.

Think baking a great gluten-free cake has to be a complicated affair? Think again! You can get a delicious GF cake with minimal effort with Krusteaz Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix. This cake mix was a standout because of the great chocolate flavor; many testers remarked that it tasted like good Dutch cocoa was stirred into the mix. But this cake also delivered on texture: It was moist, tender and baked up light and fluffy. Grease tins and preferably line base with baking parchment or greaseproof paper. For cupcakes line 2 regular muffin tins with cupcake cases. Because this cake is so rich, our Test Kitchen pros suggest foregoing the frosting entirely and instead topping with a dollop of homemade whipped cream and tart raspberriesBeat the eggs, water, oil and cake mix (or eggs, milk, butter and cake mix) together and whisk (by hand or electric mixer) for 2-3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Flavor: How does the cake taste? Does it have a strong cocoa flavor? Is it more of a dark or milk chocolate flavor? How sweet is the cake? Is it a well-balanced recipe? Texture: Is the cake light and fluffy? Dense and indulgent? Is it moist enough or is it dry and crumbly? Learn more about how we test products at Taste of Home. Our Test Kitchen-Preferred Chocolate Cake Mix Brands