7 Williams Sonoma Cake Baking Mixes, Ranked

Did you know that Williams Sonoma sells baking mixes? I sure didn't — not until I was introduced to them by a friend. Yet the company's selection was immediately alluring; after all, a brand known for premium kitchen tools is bound to make cake mixes to match. Fortunately, I wasn't wrong in my assumption.

For this taste test, I tried seven cake mixes offered by the brand (similar to my previous ranking of Pillsbury boxed cake mixes). Each cake mix boasted luxurious packaging that hinted to the contents' quality. Moreover, I was pleased to see that Williams Sonoma boasts a pretty unique selection of cake mixes. From olive oil cakes to "snacking cakes" and a couple classic mixes, I had a feeling I was in for a good time.

I ranked these cake mixes according to how they stacked up against other similar cake mixes I've tried, and how impressive they were in general. And because these mixes come at a rather hefty price tag compared to other baking mixes, I compared them to similar from-scratch cakes I've made before. Curious to see how they fared? Keep reading for my full review and rankings of Williams Sonoma cake baking mixes.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer.

Coming in last place was Williams Sonoma's Rick Dark Chocolate cake mix. Now, even though it's technically "last," it's definitely not a bad mix. But that being said, I'm not sure I would buy it again. It doesn't beat my homemade chocolate cake recipe, and it doesn't offer a cheaper price tag than ingredients for a homemade cake, which may otherwise entice me. Moreover, this cake mix came without frosting, while many of the following included a frosting packet.

In the realm of chocolate cake mix brands, I can definitely call this a good one. It had a denser texture than other boxed mixes I've had, which I consider to be a good thing. This means a single slice will be more filling, and the cake won't buckle under the weight of frosting. As far as whether it fulfills its promises of being rich and dark, I'd say it gets almost all the way there. I've had richer and darker, but if I were pitting this against a Pillsbury or Duncan Hines mix of the same flavor, it would come out on top. But because this mix didn't come with frosting and wasn't the most impressive of the bunch, it had to snag seventh place.

Up next, we have Williams Sonoma's Madagascar Vanilla cake mix, which is the only other cake mix on this list to not come with frosting. That's the biggest reason it could only make sixth place — I just couldn't justify ranking it above the following cake-and-frosting combos. Still, as far as vanilla cakes go, I'd call this a very good one, and it raised an important question: Why don't more yellow cake mixes have a pronounced vanilla flavor?

In any case, I think they should, especially after tasting how potent the Madagascar vanilla (a pretty expensive type of vanilla) was here. I'll also say that I'm a way bigger fan of vanilla cake than chocolate cake in general, which plays into why I ranked this higher than the previous cake. Its flavor really was flawless, and it made this cake not feel boring in the slightest.

If I were to frost this one, I'd be wary of pairing it with a stronger-tasting option, lest that overwhelmed the actual flavor of the cake. But when you can't get your hands on high-quality vanilla and are dying for a rich vanilla cake, this would be a good mix to buy.

Even though Williams Sonoma's Strawberry Snacking Cake only made the fifth spot on my list, as far as boxed strawberry cake mixes are concerned, it's quite good. And, there's the obvious bonus that this snacking cake comes with a box of powdered frosting mix that's incredibly easy to whip up. One package makes a pretty small, single-layer cake, another thing I appreciate about this mix — it's the perfect size for a single-person household to enjoy over the course of the week.

In terms of its flavor, though this cake easily beats out other strawberry cake mixes, I was still a touch underwhelmed. Strawberry came through plentifully in the frosting, but not as much in the cake itself. That wasn't a big enough issue to knock this any further down on my ranking. It did, however, prevent this cake from getting a higher spot here. Texturally, the cake was fairly dense but it had a tender crumb. Were I to get this again, I'd probably add sliced strawberries to the top, and I may even add some to the mix itself to amp up the strawberry flavor a little.

I am an absolute fiend for everything chocolate-espresso flavored, and again, this little snacking cake came so close to fully delivering. It, too, came with a powdered frosting mix that took no time at all to whip up. The biggest reason I couldn't rank this cake higher is because, like the last one, the frosting stole the show, which I always think should be the actual cake's job.

Moreover, as with the strawberry cake, I found the espresso flavor here to be fairly subtle. That could be a personal problem, of course; as a huge fan of the flavor, I like it to be more than readily apparent in my bakes. And while it didn't get totally lost here, it could have been punchier. As a whole, though, the cake's flavor was quite good. The chocolate was rich and dark, and espresso brought some interest to the equation. It got almost there, and the frosting was incredible. The next time I make it, you'll catch me sneaking in a hint of espresso extract.

If you've never had an olive oil cake before, hold on to your hat. Adding in the common culinary ingredient turns an ordinary sweet treat into a sweet-savory masterpiece, and honestly, I'm here for it. Sure, it makes the cake a little foreign, but this bake is worth stepping out of your comfort zone. A chocolate cake could never hurt anybody, right?

I adored what olive oil brought to the equation here, helping this mix take third place. Because chocolate was also in the mix, the olive oil flavor was just hinted at, which was fine in my book — it simply gave the cake some depth and dimension. I also gave this cake some bonus points for being accessible to any type of chocolate consumer. It's not too dark to turn off those who prefer milk chocolate, but it's rich enough to please the dark chocolate fanatic. Overall, this is a very well-rounded cake that seriously benefited from the addition of olive oil (the included chocolate glaze was a very nice touch, too).

I'm a sucker for anything that uses copious amounts of butter. There's a reason I called Pillsbury's Golden Butter cake mix the best of that brands offerings (its butter flavor was beyond incredible). I can say the same for Williams Sonoma's Butter Snacking Cake. After all, this relatively small bake took two sticks of butter, and if you use quality butter, you'll taste nothing better.

You'll see in a second why this cake didn't make the top spot here. As far as its strengths, they were plentiful. The cake and the frosting were both equally decadent, with the cake having a dense, almost bread-like texture (don't worry — it was still plenty moist!). The frosting, which calls for just one stick of butter, basically tastes like sweet butter, and few things are better, in my opinion. This cake is indulgent without being too heavy in any aspect. I quite enjoyed it, but it just couldn't beat what was easily my favorite cake of the day.

I loved this cake more than I can express, but I have to make a disclaimer: It's not going to be for everyone. I don't see children loving this, for example, but if you need a sophisticated dessert to serve at a fancy soiree, you absolutely wouldn't go wrong with Williams Sonoma's Classic Olive Oil Cake. It's the epitome of decadence, and as a savory girl myself, I loved the sweet-savory balance found here.

Because there's no chocolate present to mute the olive oil, its flavor is way more pronounced here than in its chocolate counterpart, which only worked in its favor. The included glaze mix had a lemony tang to it which helped lift the cake out of heavy territory. Texturally, this was a very dense, moist cake — the kind you can only eat a small piece of before you're satisfied. I think this mix presents a real triumph for Williams-Sonoma, which is why it took the top spot. It's a mix that doesn't really have too many counterparts (at least, not that I'm aware of), and one which will be easy for me to buy again.

To rank Williams Sonoma's boxed cake mixes, I prepared each according to package instructions. Whenever a box had optional additions, I left them out to avoid giving any cake an unfair advantage. I also used the same type of butter, milk, and eggs in each mix, to maintain consistency throughout this experiment. 

I ranked the cakes in order of how they performed against other counterparts I've had, as well as how impressive they were as a whole. This made the Classic Olive Oil cake an easy contender for first place; not only was it downright delicious, but it also doesn't have too many competing options on the market. My bottom choices were still good, but they lacked that special "Williams Sonoma touch" the other cakes had, like the inclusion of frosting mix or the addition of olive oil.