Boxed Chocolate Cake Mixes Ranked Worst To Best

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As great as it sounds to have freshly baked chocolate cake from scratch available to enjoy all the time, for many, it's simply not feasible. Unless you're an avid baker, throwing together a delicious chocolate cake in minutes can be quite the task. For novices, getting that perfectly moist texture with the most beautiful, airy crumb and great flavor is definitely a challenge.

Luckily, countless brands have taken it upon themselves to offer a quicker solution, boxing up cake mix and selling a huge variety of options on grocery store shelves. There's no shame in grabbing a boxed cake mix, especially if it allows you to bake a cake quicker and better than what your skillset may allow.

But with so many options for chocolate cake mix out there, where's a home baker to start? We decided to do the legwork (and eating) for you. From the wildly decadent chocolate cakes to those that fall a little flat, these are some of the most popular chocolate cake mixes on the market today, all ranked from worst to best.

It's pretty difficult not to mark this chocolate cake mix as the absolute worst. But, given the fact it's gluten-free and it's trying, it wouldn't be fair to totally knock it. That being said, this is only worth it if you actually have to be on a gluten-free diet and you're literally required to only consume chocolate cake without gluten.

Pouring the mix into a mixing bowl, it has the strangest smell. The mix is a super fine, gritty powder that creates a just-as-gritty batter. And the batter only has a hint of chocolate flavor, with surprising notes of raspberry coming through as well.

When it's baked, it's as dry as can be, even with the eggs and oil used to add moisture. The finished cake crumbles in your hand or once sliced with a knife, carrying on the terrible texture observed in the batter. It's a decent flavor but not overly chocolatey. And really, the flavor certainly isn't good enough to make up for the texture. For those without any dietary issues who can eat whatever they want, this is your warning. Do yourself a favor and just skip this option.

Walmart comes through with another perfectly workable Great Value product with this Devil's Food flavor. But if you're able and willing to put a few extra pennies toward another brand, it's worth it.

The cake certainly offers up a great texture once baked. It's moist and fluffy, offering an overall nice consistency when you take a bite. It's perfectly smooth with a lovely crumb. But this cake is definitely one that needs a bit of frosting to help its flavor along.

Certainly, you get a bit of chocolate coming through, but overall, it falls a bit flat on the chocolate flavor spectrum. And with cocoa, along with natural and artificial flavors on the label, it does make you wonder what's flavoring this mix and why the chocolate isn't shining through. Considering you can pick this box of mix up for under one dollar at most Walmarts, it definitely can curb a chocolate cake craving in a pinch. But if you're looking for great flavor, consider splurging just a bit more.

It seems like something is just missing from chocolate cake mixes that claim to be devil's food. And this boxed mix is no different. Right off the bat, you get the scent of artificial chocolate when you open the bag. And that's not our imagination. The mix does contain artificial flavor along with cocoa, but it's also surprising to see carob powder listed on the label. Perhaps the mixture of the three, rather than just good old-fashioned cocoa powder, is what seems concerning in this mix.

Moving into the mixture, once you add your eggs, oil, and water, the batter seems super dark and rich. Unfortunately, that's not the same cake that pops out of the oven when all is said and done. Sure, the cake is moist and fluffy thanks to those eggs, but the chocolate flavor is barely there. It's almost as if that all that water completely watered down the flavor of the mix along the way.

It's not hard to admit that those who need to eat a gluten-free diet truly don't have it easy. Sometimes, a gluten-free diet may be a choice just because of how gluten in certain foods like bread or cake makes a person feel. For those with celiac disease, it's a necessity because the protein that's found in grains such as rye, wheat, and barely can cause issues with nutritional absorption that can sometimes be severe.

Because most cakes utilize flour, a delicious chocolate cake might be out of the picture. But not with this mix!

King Arthur has come up with a great mix for those who require a gluten-free diet, utilizing rice flour and tapioca starch. The final baked product offers a great texture, just like a rich, moist chocolate cake. And that's probably all thanks to the four eggs called for on the box. We do wish there was a hint more chocolate flavor to really drive this option home, but overall, it's a great choice for those who need gluten-free, or even those who don't.

This is definitely a solid choice if you're hoping to whip up a chocolate cake to impress all of your friends. They don't need to know it was from a box mix, right? Once you dress it up and present it to those you're sharing it with, you won't even care it was a dollar more than the other options on the shelf.

This mix smells like chocolate heaven right out of the bag. Once the fine powder is poured into a bowl and paired with two eggs, oil, and water, the texture seems a bit gritty. But with this mix, it's all about having faith. It comes out to bake the loveliest chocolate cake that is totally moist, gooey, and presents a perfectly fluffy crumb. The flavor is incredible, but given the name "double chocolate," we do wish the flavor were a bit stronger. The surprise chocolate chips in the mix certainly help to up the chocolate ante, but it's not as incredibly chocolatey as the words "double chocolate" on the box allude to.

And if you're baking a larger cake, serving it up to those aforementioned friends, you'll probably need more than one box. One box of this mix will produce a beautiful nine-inch square or round cake, but if you're looking for multiple layers, you should definitely buy additional boxes.

This is definitely another mix that just might surprise you if you let it. The mix comes out of the bag super clumpy, so from the get-go, you might be a bit worried. And it smells artificial, but honestly, it's kind of artificial in a good way.

Assessing the color of the mix, it's super light, which definitely presents the question of how chocolatey it really might be. It's certainly not that deep, rich chocolate cake color like you would imagine devil's food to be. Once the eggs, water, and oil are mixed in, the batter is super airy and fluffy. You can just tell the texture is going to be perfectly smooth once it's popped into the oven.

After baking, this cake comes out of the oven with the most perfect crumb. Seriously, the texture is spot on. It's slightly gooey and deliciously moist. If you wanted, you could even skip the frosting here. Though, we're not sure why you'd ever want to do that. Overall, the cake is delicious with a good, rounded-out chocolate flavor. For devil's food, it's not as jam-packed with rich chocolate flavor as one might expect, but it's still so incredibly good.