5 White Cake Mixes, Ranked Worst To Best

Many people can say they've eaten a lot of cake in their lives, but because of the years I spent in professional test kitchens, I can also say I've spent a lot of time really thinking about cake. There's a lot that goes into a good cake recipe, so for those times when you want less thinking and more eating, there's cake mix. 

Some cakes are harder to make than others, especially homemade white cake, which relies on whipped egg whites for lift and structure. Cake mix removes most of the required technique since all you have to do is beat a few ingredients with a dry mix for a few minutes. And after recently ranking every Great Value cake mix, I realized that boxed white cake mix can be pretty great. So I decided to pick up all the boxed white cake mixes I could find and rank them from worst to best, based on overall flavor and texture. Here's how the competition baked up.

You know the sound when you squeeze out a wet sponge? There is little reason to associate that with cake, yet it's exactly what sprang to mind when I tasted Pillsbury Moist Supreme White Cake Mix. To be clear, that's not a good thing. 

This cake mix was widely available when I was sourcing mixes from my local stores. I ended up picking it up on sale for $1.25, though even without the discount, you should be able to find it for around or under $2 at any given time. This variety did well in our Pillsbury cake mix ranking, landing in the middle, but that was comparing it to various other flavors versus how well it represents white cake. 

The thick batter baked well, though the top was noticeably pale, despite having the same additions as all the other mixes of egg whites, oil, and water. Besides the level top and gentle browning, there's not much else redeeming this bake. The overall sogginess became even harder to overlook once I tasted it. It had a heavy "faux-nilla" flavor that twisted into a chemical aftertaste. Any lightness the cake was striving for was stomped out by the harsh flavor. Due to the overall unpleasant taste and the fact that it did not taste any different from a yellow cake mix, it ranked last. 

Baker's Corner is an Aldi private label brand, and this was my first time baking one of its mixes. I wasn't sure what to expect from Baker's Corner Classic White Cake Mix because the brand seems to be hit or miss. We called it out as one of the worst boxed chocolate cake mixes while also recognizing that people rave about Baker's Corner yellow cake mix. This was the least expensive mix in the ranking. It was priced at $1.25 before any possible sale discounts.

This mix calls for five large egg whites, the most of any of the cakes listed here, along with water and vegetable oil to produce a very thin, runny batter. Despite that, it baked evenly and was one of the taller cakes with a fairly even, fine crumb structure. The reason this cake fell to the bottom of the ranking was purely due to off-putting flavors. There was a very strong, artificial aftertaste that was not only way too intense for such a light cake, but it lingered when I really just wanted it to disappear. After a few more bites, I noticed a growing soapy-salty taste that I usually get when a cake has too much baking soda. None of it was good, and I was glad I had tasted enough of it to put it aside. 

Much like the Baker's Corner cake, Betty Crocker Super Moist White Cake Mix started out strong. It was priced comparably to the other cake mixes and widely available. I picked it up on sale for $1.47, but that was only $0.30 under the regular price. The first thing I noticed was the light texture and fine crumb, which were spot on for what a white cake should look like. However, the flavor took a sharp left turn and imparted an intense and unpleasant aftertaste. 

At first, I didn't really taste much of anything. The cake was like air. But just as I was getting ready to jot down some positive thoughts, salty and chemical flavors flooded my taste buds. I was actually very confused by the progression. I wondered if I had somehow bitten into an undissolved pocket of dry mix, so I went back for a few more bites from different areas of the cake. No matter what bite I tried, I had the same experience. I'm guessing with enough icing you wouldn't even taste it, but a good cake shouldn't need its flavor to be hidden. Still, this cake landed in the middle because the texture was a bright spot, and getting just the right crumb proved really difficult among these five mixes. 

I grabbed the very last box of Duncan Hines Classic White Cake Mix off the shelf at my local store and paid $1.25 on sale. The regular price is $2.49, which is still reasonable, but more than the other mixes. The cake looked really lovely as it cooled, and I was hopeful I'd found a winner. The top wasn't overly browned; it baked fairly level, and it did well in our Duncan Hines cake mix ranking. But once I cut a slice, I was dismayed. Two key aspects of a proper white cake that distinguish it from yellow or vanilla cake are its white color and a delicate texture, free of large air pockets. This cake looked like an off-white sponge. 

Still, it didn't taste tough or overly bouncy. I was pleasantly surprised at the gentle flavor because it didn't match the look. I tasted vanilla, a hint of salt, and just enough sugar to make it sweet but not cloying. There was no chemical flavor, as I detected in some of the others, which was very welcome at this point in the tasting. It was a close call between this cake and the one that took the top spot. Ultimately, the slightly yellow color and rough-looking crumb just nudged it out of contention. If it looked as delicate as it tasted, it would have blown the others away.

I really enjoyed Great Value Deluxe Moist White Cake Mix when I first tried it, but I wasn't sure how it would stack up in a tasting of only white cake mixes. At $1.28 per box, this Walmart private-label brand mix doesn't feel like much of an investment to try. At worst, it's just another cake mix, but at best, it's an affordable treat!

There were more small air pockets in this cake than when I previously baked it, but I decided it was only fair to focus on the cake in front of me and judge this version. This is a very plush, cloud-like cake with a soft yet sturdy texture. Similar to several other mixes, salt poked through the sweetness and the hint of vanilla, but in this cake, it didn't linger or take over. There's no strong aftertaste, welcoming you to take another bite rather than deterring you. It still tastes like cake mix — they all do — but this one felt the most balanced. It took the top spot for its bright color and the fact that the flavor and texture worked together to create the closest option to homemade white cake. 

Before purchasing anything, I researched white cake mixes, looking specifically for ones labeled "white cake" and not vanilla. The number was surprisingly low, but I was able to source five. I mixed and baked each cake according to the package instructions using the same brand of large eggs and bottle of vegetable oil. For consistency, I baked them in similar 9x13-inch pans until they were cooked through, using the box's baking times as a guide, and adjusting as needed. If the box suggested checking for doneness with a toothpick, I also did that.

If the box gave me the option of whole eggs or egg whites, I used egg whites for a fairer comparison and to keep the color as white as possible. Each cake was fully cooled and then sampled. I ranked based on the overall flavor and texture, ranking cakes with coarse, uneven interiors and chemical aftertastes lower and plush, moist cakes with a balanced taste higher.

Even though I'm a trained chef and recipe developer, I'm no stranger to boxed cake mixes. I have a strong understanding of the benefits and drawbacks, both flavor- and texture-wise, that the convenience product brings. I have no brand allegiance or preference, so I approached this ranking methodically, judging the good and bad of each against the others.