I Tried 4 Spice Cake Mixes and the Best One Was a Total Surprise

As a kid, I used to go grocery shopping with my mom. Most of the time it was pretty boring, as my mom spent what felt like far too much time in each aisle filling up our cart. Sometimes we’d end up in the baking aisle and I’d perk up, knowing that this meant dessert was in my future. We’d stroll up to the boxed cake mixes and she’d let me choose the one I wanted, which was always chocolate. One day though, I was told “company was coming,” and because of that, we would be making spice cake. I was devastated. Spice cake sounded disgusting. It wasn’t until I begrudgingly sampled the baked cake with cream cheese frosting that I forgave her. It was delicious, and I’ve loved it ever since. It’s why I still make it, but usually in the fall and winter when those cozy spices feel especially warm.

Spice cake isn’t something I make often, but when I do, it’s usually from scratch. Not because I think my recipe is the best, but because while I love box mixes, I’ve never been motivated to find a spice cake version. That changed recently when I was asked what my favorite brand was. Since I hadn’t tried them recently, I didn’t have an answer, but I was determined to find out. So I gathered four mixes, made some spice cake, gathered some testers, and here are the results.

How I Chose the Spice Cake Mixes

Believe it or not, there aren’t many companies making spice cake mixes. I could only find four! Three of my contenders can easily be found at nationwide grocery chains. The fourth mix is from a specialty retailer that sells home goods and cookware. The only selection criteria was that the mixes needed to clearly be “spice cake” without other flavors such as apple or pumpkin.

How I Tested the Spice Cake Mixes

I used the same 9x13-inch pan to bake all of the cakes, as well as the same brand and type of eggs, oil, water, and butter. I followed the instructions as written on the box and let the cakes fully cool before sampling. I served the cakes plain, without any frosting, and I enlisted the help of some cake-loving judges who I encouraged to rank the cakes based on appearance, texture, and flavor.

The Results

As with all taste tests, the results are subjective. Our favorite may not be yours, and that’s okay!

3rd place: Duncan Hines and Betty Crocker (Tie)

$2 at Amazon

Everything about these spice cakes seemed the same right from the start. Both required similar amounts of oil, water, and eggs and the instructions were almost identical. Of course, my testers didn’t know this, but they all reported these two cakes seemed very similar.

$2 at Target

While there was nothing wrong with either of the cakes, testers were underwhelmed. The texture of both cakes was soft and springy and had the light brown color you’d expect for spice cake. The only issue was flavor. Both were lightly sweetened, which was good, but neither had much spice. Since we were testing spice cakes, we were hoping for more.

2nd place: Williams Sonoma

$16 at Williams Sonoma

The most expensive spice cake mix on the list didn’t receive the accolades I thought it would. Unlike the other cakes on this list, this mix required butter in place of the oil, which I thought would be enough to make it the winner. That wasn’t the case though. My testers loved the look of the cake, which was a deep golden brown, but found the texture “dry” and “not as fluffy” as the other cakes tested. The flavor was nice, with just the right amount of sugar and salt, but again, testers reported the spice as “mild” and not as prominent as they’d like.

1st place: Great Value (Walmart)

$2 at Walmart

Appearance-wise, there wasn’t anything that stood out. It looked like others on the list, which is to say it was light brown in color. Testers enjoyed the texture, commenting that it was “perfectly soft” and “light and spongy.” No remarkable difference was noted until we got to flavor, which testers unanimously agreed was the best of all four cakes. It was perfectly sweet, but also full of spice. On the first bite, having not tasted the other cakes, one tester even boldly reported, “This is it! This is the winner.” She was right, this cake is delicious, and even better, it’s a budget-friendly option, so you can have your cake and not sweat about breaking the bank!

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