Duncan Hines Vs Pillsbury: Which Brand Has The Best Chocolate Cake Mix?

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When the craving for a good chocolate cake strikes or you need to whip up a quick birthday cake, it's usually a good idea to have a boxed chocolate cake mix ready in the pantry. While some chocolate cake mixes taste just as good as the homemade stuff, not all brands achieve sought-after baked attributes such as a nice deep chocolate cake flavor and tender crumb. Specifically, when it comes to the choice between Duncan Hines and Pillsbury, one brand's chocolate cake clearly takes the lead: Duncan Hines. 

In a recent Tasting Table taste test ranking of 13 boxed chocolate cake mixes, Duncan Hines' Dark Chocolate Fudge came in first place, while Pillsbury's Moist Supreme chocolate cake mix ranked fifth. In the review, our writer noted, Duncan Hines "had the perfect soft, rich, and decadent texture that I wanted in my chocolate cake." Pillsbury's chocolate cake mix was notably fine (what our writer basically cited as a passable chocolate cake mix), but it did not stand out among the higher-ranked chocolate cake mixes. Whereas the Duncan Hines product was notably "fudgy and decadent." Pillsbury's chocolate cake mix also lost some headway in the ranking since it developed a crisp outer crust when baked, while Duncan Hines' chocolate cake mix remained moist and had a softer, more desirable outer crust compared to Pillsbury.

Duncan Hines' chocolate cake mix proudly boasts that it's "perfectly moist" right on the box — and that combination of extra fudgy taste and moisture goes a long way with customers. Those attributes are often enough to make a boxed mix taste much closer to homemade. In fact, many bakers reach for the brand as their choice, too. In an r/Cakes thread on Reddit, for example, one user surveyed others about favorite boxed mixes for a wedding cake. "I have made tons of wedding cakes using Duncan Hines white [and] dark chocolate cake mixes & every one raves about them," one person wrote, adding to others who said the brand is great quality and relatively foolproof. 

On another Reddit post in r/baking, someone asked about tips for making a chocolate cake that tastes like Duncan Hines' popular product. While some users answered with tricks to get that moist texture and rich chocolatey flavor the mix exhibits, one person wrote, "If they want Duncan Hines they want Duncan Hines," indicating that the mix simply makes a great chocolate cake. "Finish it with some quality butter icing to make sure it's the best chocolate cake they could hope for." And indeed, Duncan Hines' chocolate cake, our top-ranking pick, is pretty close to the best homemade chocolate layer cake. It's also great for recipes like easy Black Forest cake layered with whipped cream and tart cherries.