I have only encountered two box mix options for Angel food cake near me, Betty Crocker and Duncan Hines. In general, angel food cake is a finicky recipe to make so I assume it is an even harder box mix to create and many other companies are steering clear. With that said, we have to compare these two mixes side by side to see who does it better and learn which one you should pick up next time you want to make angel food cake with a shortcut.
Unfortunately, I only own one Bundt pan and did not purchase a second one for this comparison so I had to bake the cakes back to back rather than side by side however I will provide all the information side by side. To prepare the batter, Duncan Hines calls for 1 1/4 cup of water, whereas Betty Crocker calls for 1 1/3 cup of water. For both batters you are supposed to mix slowly until the powder and water are combines and then beat it for a minute. I did this with a whisk and it went smoothly.
Both batters were frothy and white. Duncan Hines batter was thinner in consistency with some foaminess whereas Betty Crockers batter foamed all together as one cohesive thing and resembled soap in a car wash. Duncan Hines batter tasted like sweet chemicals but Betty Crockers batter tasted significantly worse. It tasted like sour, tart chemicals with no sweetness and leaves you with no desire to lick the bowl. I have always felt that box mix angel food cake batter tastes like something found under the sink and not like something that should be consumed. These were no exceptions. The batters were very different visually and in flavor so I am eager to see how this translates into the cake.
Duncan Hines calls for baking the batter at 350 degrees. Betty calls for 250 unless using a non stick pan, then to use 325 so I did use the lower temperature since Betty likes to give us inaccurate bake times for every mix they sell. Duncan Hines calls for baking 33 to 38 minutes. I checked on it repeatedly and found it finished, browned and dried, at 36 minutes. I did realize during this bake time that I had forgotten to adjust my oven rack to the lowest rack in the oven and left it at the top 1/3 of the oven. I chose to leave this for Betty Crocker’s baking so that it was equal for the comparison. Betty Crockers mix calls for baking for 37 to 47 minutes and somehow they have managed to shock me again. At 62 minutes I found Betty’s cake to be fully baked. If I had to guess, their suggestion for 325 degrees was a bad call. I would suggest you stick with the original 350 degrees and you may have a more accurate bake time.
The funny thing about angel food cake is that you have to let it cool upside down so it doesn’t collapse in on itself. It is nerve wracking every time but it always stays in the pan. For each cake, I let it cool upside down fully before removing it from the pan and placing it on a plate. Visually, I don’t really see much difference. Of course some of the browning stuck to the pan so it wasn’t all still stuck to the cake but that wasn’t a reflection of the cake itself. Betty Crocker’s cake was taller and did seem to rise out of the pan a bit more but overall, I couldn’t visually tell you which one was which.
As for flavor and texture, they were again very similar. Visually the crumb seems tighter on Betty Crocker’s angel food cake and a little more airy on Duncan Hines. When chewing it, Betty Crocker’s seemed to be just slightly chewier. The flavor was just sweet and fluffy, nothing exciting. Duncan Hines was definitely sweeter, just like the batter was. I continued to taste them side by side and I could not pinpoint any other differences. These cakes are practically the same and you can’t go wrong with either one. At the end of the day, Duncan Hines was slighter cheaper at my store and I liked that it was sweeter so I would likely go for Duncan Hines but if you only have Betty Crocker at your store, you’re getting the same product.
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