The Worst Dessert Baking Mix From Bob's Red Mill Is Still One We'd Buy Again
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Not only does Bob's Red Mill carry a wide selection of gluten-free products but it also has an impressive lineup of dessert baking mixes. To decide which of these treat mixes was worthy of a spot in your pantry, our taste tester prepared and ranked five Bob's Red Mill dessert mixes. While there were some standouts — including one mix that nails a classic recipe — there was one that did not deliver as much as the other products: the Decadent Chocolate Cake Mix.
Our taste tester found this cake to be dry and brittle, which veers from the expectation one has for a high-quality chocolate cake mix. While they didn't necessarily mind this, and noted that the texture would balance out a sweet icing, it may not be as pleasant for folks who are used to very sweet and light baking mixes. While the flavor of this mix was not inherently bad — they actually thought it was better than other cake mixes — it paled in comparison to some of the higher-ranked products.
'Last place' is relative
Your opinion about this mix likely depends on your cake preferences. Some folks have found this mix to be a bit too brownie-like and heavy, while others have noted that they actually prefer it to homemade chocolate cake and suggest improving it with a bit of espresso powder — not too dissimilar to the ingredient that takes Ina Garten's chocolate cake ot the next level.
There seems to be very few negative sentiments about it, with the exception of one Amazon reviewer who said that their cupcakes needed five more minutes in the oven than the recipe noted and that "found them rather dry and hard to swallow without a liquid handy." As such, it's safe to say that reviewers, as a whole, really like this mix (and it is still cake, meaning it's hard to dislike).
"We love this cake mix. It's super moist and deep chocolate essence," said one customer on Amazon. "One of the best mixes I have used," said another, who called out the richness of the chocolate specifically.