The Best Boxed Chocolate Cake Mix You Can Buy, According to 3 Food Experts

Every year I make my children’s birthday cake from scratch. I’ve made everything from a cake shaped like a Transformers shield and a hockey rink to a monster jam pit party and everything in between. I painstakingly make each cake layer from scratch, complete with a batch of German buttercream, a rather fussy frosting option.

As much as I’ve wanted that picture-perfect moment where my kids dive headfirst into the cake with pure, unadulterated sugar-induced bliss, they are never that into it. I always assumed they didn’t like cake. Or maybe it’s because I exposed them to vegetables first rather than fruit. A parenting win!

Wrong.

Turns out that my kids don’t like MY cake—the one from scratch. I recently saw them shove chocolate cake from a cake mix smeared with a tub of frosting into their sweet little faces. Was I mildly offended? Of course! But the silver lining is that now I can save a lot of time, money, and effort making their birthday cakes.

The only question? Which cake to buy! If we switch from scratch-made cake to boxed cake mix, it at least has to taste good! I reached out to a few of my favorite bakers, who also have very discerning palates, to get their take on the best boxed chocolate cake mix out there.

The 3 Cake Experts I Asked

• Christine Fiorentino: Food writer and recipe developer who always has the tea on the latest food trends and grocery news.
• Meghan Splawn: Her Instagram bio says, “Loves an easy sweet treat.” A talented food writer and recipe developer who has been creating smart recipes for over 15 years.
• Jessie Sheehan: The QUEEN of easy-peasy sweets and author of four amazing baking cookbooks.

And the Winner for the Best Boxed Chocolate Cake Mix Is! 

To my surprise, a staple of my childhood was the top choice of all of the experts I spoke to: Duncan Hines Classic Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake Mix.

At $1.47 a box, it’s very hard to beat the price. In addition to the contents of the box, all you need is eggs, water, and oil. When I was growing up, one of my favorite things my mom made was a big sheet cake using this boxed cake mix and a generous scoop of chocolate chips added to the batter before baking. Once it cooled, she’d dust it with powdered sugar, and life was good.

The experts I spoke to agreed about the nostalgic flavor of this mix. Sheehan said, “My favorite chocolate cake mix is Duncan Hines Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake. The cake is moist and chocolatey and the crumb is light and soft. The flavor and texture are completely nostalgic for me and every birthday, I request that my children make it for me (with Duncan Hines vanilla frosting, natch).” After all, when your mom is a pro baker, you need a leg up when it comes time to make her a birthday cake!

Similarly, Fiorentino shared that it’s a favorite in her family, too. “I love it! And my dad wants it every year for his birthday because it reminds him of childhood. I am totally here for boxed cake mix as I’m much more of a cook than a baker.” She loves it for its reliability and consistency.

It’s worth noting how easy it is to pick up a box of this stuff. Life moves pretty fast, and you never know when you might need to whip up 24 cupcakes on an hour’s notice. This mix is widely available, even at convenience stores and pharmacies. Splawn agrees: “My go-to brand of cake mix is Duncan Hines! It is usually the cheapest, and it is so easy to find. The Devil’s Food variety is my go-to for chocolate!”

For me, one of the most exciting things about a box of chocolate cake mix is how you can upgrade it to make it your own. I’ve been experimenting with adding coffee instead of water and using butter instead of canola oil for more depth of flavor. Learn all about how to upgrade your next boxed cake here!