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? 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. Learn more about how we test products at Taste of Home. Our Test Kitchen-Preferred Chocolate Cake Mix Brands 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.But don’t you worry: Our Test Kitchen put 10 of the most popular brands to the test. In a blind tasting, our culinary pros sampled 10 chocolate cake mix brands and judged them according to these criteria: 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.

Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C for fan assisted ovens)/Gas Mark 4. For cupcakes use fan assisted oven 160°C.Just like not everyone likes a crunchy cookie (where are our chewy cookie fans?), not everyone is looking for an airy chocolate cake. If you like your cakes a bit on the dense and decadent side, you have to try King Arthur Baking Company Chocolate Indulgence Cake Mix. Beat 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.