Trader Joe's Shoppers Are Divided Over Its Returning Blood Orange Cake Mix

When lemons or oranges just can't cut it, sometimes you need to reach for a blood orange. According to Spoon University, this fruit tastes like a mix between an orange and a raspberry and features a dark red interior, not unlike blood. Bakers have tapped into this unique flavor, and Trader Joe's now has a returning cake mix featuring blood oranges that has polarized shoppers across social media.

Instagrammer @traderjoesfoodreviews gave the cake mix a 6 out of 10 score, saying, "The cake itself had a good texture and was dense and moist with a slight orange flavor. I liked the cake part the best! The frosting, however, tasted weirdly artificial and like an orange smartie candy mixed with an orange creamsicle." They additionally noted another strange, underlying flavor in the dessert mix and found that they preferred the idea of making homemade icing instead of the mix version if they ever bought the product again.

Some followers agreed with the sentiment on the cake's icing, saying, "I thought the icing tasted weird too. It was better the next day after it solidified though," and "Icing had a bit of a chalky texture too." Others simply responded with, "Not good." Others didn't feel as negative and chimed in with "I made it tonight and loved it!" and "I made this cake yesterday. Very easy. Not too bad. I'd buy it again." One user even noted, "This is pretty much what you said last year about this product — is this new or recycled?"

On the other end of Instagram, @traderjoeslist independently discovered the blood orange cake mix and posted the finding on their page. They captioned the post with "IT'S BACK BLOOD ORANGE CAKE MIX WITH ICING $3.69 For the citrusy, blood orange lovers, this is [a] tasty treat to add to your #traderjoes list! It's seasonal and 100% delicious! Made with real juice powder and peel, past reviewers noted this cake is sweet, and the citrus flavor is bright! The color alone is satisfying and the overall flavor is delish!"

Many users hacked the recipe by adding in other ingredients. They shared these baking secrets via comments like "Substitute the water with actual blood orange juice for an extra tart flavor and add zest to the frosting," and "Tried it this wknd! Added dried cranberries & it was delish."

Not everyone fell head over heels for this item on this post, however. Others replied, "It was disappointing, as it has a very artificial taste," and "Made it. It's terrible. Was excited because lemon is good." All things considered, one user concluded the conversation with one burning question everyone was wondering: "Does it have real blood in it?"