My background is primarily in cake making and decorating so I have absolutely dabbled in box mix cakes but it has been awhile, everything I make now is from scratch so box mix cakes are few and far between for me. Being in the cake industry, I know that it’s not cheap to buy or make birthday cakes. Ingredients are expensive and even a custom cake at Walmart can run $40+ for a quarter sheet which is not in everyone’s budget anymore despite being the “cheap” option. So when I came across this box mix from Duncan Hines that has the cake mix, a 6 inch cardboard baking pan, and frosting, for only $2.92 on Amazon, I knew we had to test it out.
This box mix can be made in the oven or microwaved. I’ll be using the oven to hopefully get a more accurate representation of how this cake comes out but I love the inclusivity. This box mix feels like it is made with everyone in mind. It doesn’t matter your household size or income level. Every birthday deserves a cake and Duncan Hines is trying to make that possible. Let’s dive in and see how it comes out.
Starting with the cake mix, you add oil, an egg, and water in and mix to create the cake batter. It is such a small amount of batter that you could easily mix it together in the baking pan and reduce the number of dishes needed to prepare this dessert. The cake batter tasted a lot like marshmallows, mostly just the sugary flavor coming forward, no vanilla flavor. The batter is also so bright, it could be considered neon yellow. There absolutely has to be food coloring added in which I find unnecessary but it definitely creates the illusion that this is “yellow cake” instead of vanilla. However, if you keep vanilla extract in your pantry, you could easily add in a teaspoon and elevate the flavor of the cake.
Next, the pan goes into the oven at 300 degrees. I can’t think of a time I have ever baked anything, especially cake, at this low of a temperature so I found that intriguing. It is supposed to cook for 28-33 minutes but it was baked and ready to come out at 25 minutes. The cake had risen a lot but then as it cooled, it flattened back down to be pretty even with the top of the pan. The low temperature and lack of a metal baking pan prevented the cake from any browning so it was still unnaturally yellow all the way around.
After cooling, the next step is to add on the frosting. It comes in a pouch that has to be kneaded to soften the frosting. When you tear the top of the frosting pouch off, the opening is too large to be used for any piping techniques. I squeezed it out on the cake at random and then used an offset spatula to smooth it evenly over the top. The amount of frosting felt right, it covered the cake fully in a thick layer. The frosting also tasted like sugar to me, I didn’t get any cocoa or chocolate flavor. At this point I’m thinking this cake is not vanilla and chocolate but rather yellow and brown flavors. You get what you pay for so I wasn’t necessarily expecting gourmet fancy flavors but the lack of flavor was definitely noticeable to me.
Despite the lack of flavors in each item, I found that it all really meshed together well into an enjoyable cake. The combination of the cake and frosting was nice and I didn’t find myself looking for more flavor. I accepted it for what it was, a simple yellow cake with a chocolate frosting. At this price point, it is absolutely worth it. The convenience and inclusivity of this product amazes me and I am so happy to see something like this on the market. At almost $3 on Amazon or at Walmart, this is an affordable easy cake for anyone and any occasion.
This cake is customizable and since the cake kit was cheap, you can splurge on fancy sprinkles in the shapes of letters, or pour your favorite candy on top. M&Ms, Reese’s pieces, Oreos, anything can personalize this cake. Fresh fruit would make a nice topper, or if you have any extra or additional frosting laying around you could easily put it into a Ziploc bag as a makeshift piping bag and write on the cake. This can look as fancy or as simple as you want for little effort. I’ve included a link below if you want to purchase this Duncan Hines cake kit from Amazon.
This cake totals 1310 calories. If divided into 4 servings as the package suggests, it would be 238 calories per slice. You could easily get 6 slices which would be 218 calories per slice.
Here are the links to products used today:
Duncan Hines Cake Kit – https://amzn.to/3ZlGgMK
Rubber Spatulas – https://amzn.to/3JWDtAA
Tablespoon set – https://amzn.to/4agFQsK
Oven Mitts – https://amzn.to/3JYq5Mg
Vanilla Bean Paste – https://amzn.to/3QGEsZB
Plastic Measuring Cup – https://amzn.to/4bDJIoV
*These are affiliate links meaning if you click on the link and buy the product, I will earn a small commission, but you will not be charged a penny more.