Pillsbury's Worst Boxed Cake Mix Is Ruined By The Taste Of Food Dye

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Pillsbury is one of the most recognizable brands when it comes to all things baking. However, it may have gone wrong when it comes to one of its popular products. When we ranked 11 Pillsbury boxed cake mixes, from worst to best, its red velvet cake mix came in last place.

Although our taste tester admitted she wasn't the biggest fan of red velvet cake in general, she noted that she felt like she could "taste the red dye" in Pillsbury's Moist Supreme Red Velvet Cake Mix. "And eating something so obviously artificial just isn't appealing to 21st-century palates," she continued. There was also "a bit of chocolate" flavor in the finished product, but it wasn't enough to take the focus off the "distinct food coloring taste."

While old wives' tales have suggested that red velvet cake was nothing more than chocolate cake dyed red, that isn't the case. Instead, it is a combination of cocoa powder and vanilla, along with an acid like white vinegar to give it that recognizable taste.

Others have also noticed a strange flavor in Pillsbury's Moist Supreme Red Velvet Cake Mix. One Walmart customer said the product had a "weird taste" and suggested the flavor wasn't "even close" to the red velvet they were used to. It was also alleged that the "cake was dry." But that, of course, can be remedied. In fact, adding a glaze or icing, be it vanilla or cream cheese, can do wonders for this and any red velvet cake you come across. Not only would a topping impart moisture, but it would also lend some sweetness, which can distract from that pesky dye flavor.

Still, some shoppers are big fans of the red velvet mix, praising it as their favorite. And it came in third place when we ranked six store-bought red velvet cake mixes (first place went to Old School Brand's Red Velvet Cake Mix). So, while it may not rank well against other boxed cake mixes from Pillsbury, like its lemon, golden butter, and pineapple options, there are worse red cake mixes out there.