We Asked 3 Chefs for Their Favorite Store-Bought Cake Mix, and We're Taking Notes

By Julie Andrews, MS, RDN, CD, FAND Parade - Food and Drink Stories

Updated April 12, 2026 9:40 AM

Boxed cake mix has long been the quiet hero of home baking-tucked onto pantry shelves, ready to deliver something sweet with minimal effort. But in a world where professional chefs obsess over technique, ingredients and scratch-made perfection, it begs an intriguing question-do any boxed cake mixes actually earn their respect? The answer might surprise you. Inside those humble boxes is a wide range of mixes, some of which truly impress the experts.

That's why we asked three chefs to share their favorite boxed cake mixes, where things like crumb, moisture and flavor balance matter just as much as convenience. For some chefs, a boxed mix isn't a shortcut-it's a starting point, a base waiting to be upgraded with clever tweaks and professional tricks. For others, it's a benchmark to test just how far store-bought baking has come. Either way, their opinions offer a fresh, insider perspective on products many of us grew up enjoying.

Our Panel of Chefs

Chef Julie Lopez, RD, is a New Jersey–based chef, registered dietitian and founder of ChefJulieRD.com, where she shares approachable recipes, cooking tips and culinary insights designed to help people gain confidence in the kitchen. She also serves as a culinary instructor at King's Food Market Cooking Studio, teaching classes that blend practical skills with flavorful, approachable cooking. Julie works with food brands and organizations as a culinary nutrition consultant, recipe developer and media spokesperson.
Chef Jenn Struik, MS, RD, is a Grand Rapids–born chef and registered dietitian who blends culinary creativity with nutrition expertise through her business, Jenny with the Good Eats, offering personalized chef services, meal prep and consulting. She also serves as an assistant culinary professor at Grand Rapids Community College's Secchia Institute for Culinary Education, where she teaches food science and nutrition. Struik has competed nationally Food Network's Chopped and won the top prize on Supermarket Stakeout.
Chef Tessa Nguyen, MEd, RD, is an internationally acclaimed chef, registered dietitian and educator known for her culturally inclusive approach to culinary nutrition. She is the founder and principal of TN Media, where she develops diverse recipes, leads media and speaking engagements and creates content that bridges food, culture and health. With expertise in health equity, accessible cooking and food allergy–inclusive nutrition, Tessa brings a global perspective to her work grounded in cultural humility and lived experience across multiple countries. Her insights and recipes have been featured internationally, helping home cooks and professionals alike embrace flavorful, thoughtful cooking.

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What To Look for When Buying Cake Mix

Not everyone has the time or patience to bake from scratch, and honestly, you shouldn't have to sacrifice great cake because of it. Knowing which mixes pass the "chef test" gives home bakers a little confidence boost-and maybe even permission to embrace a shortcut or two. After all, good baking isn't just about effort. It's about results, and sometimes the best slice of cake starts with a box.

When you ask chefs about boxed cake mix, you might expect a polite dismissal, but the reality is far more interesting. Across the board, the chefs we spoke to didn't just tolerate boxed mixes-they embraced them, with a few strong opinions about what separates a good one from a great one.

And surprisingly, a clear theme emerged-the best boxed cake mixes, according to the pros, are the ones that include pudding in the mix. That one small detail, they say, is the difference between a decent cake and one that's irresistibly moist, tender and bakery-worthy.

The Best Store-Bought Cake Mix, According to 3 Chefs

Chef Julie Lopez keeps it practical when it comes to her go-to picks. She regularly reaches for brands like Duncan Hines, Betty Crocker or Pillsbury-especially Funfetti-because they're reliable, affordable and easy to find. But her biggest tip? Choose a boxed mix that has pudding in the mix, or she suggests to "mix in a box of pudding," noting that it's her secret to consistently moist cakes.

Agreeing that reliability is a major advantage, Chef Jennifer Struik also points to texture as a key factor. While she's loyal to Pillsbury Funfetti for its iconic flavor, she highlights how certain mixes stand out for their consistency, including Betty Crocker's Super Moist line. That signature softness, she notes, is hard to beat-even compared to some from-scratch versions.

"Whichever is the least expensive and has pudding in the mix," says Chef Tessa Nguyen, taking an even more direct approach-she doesn't prioritize brand as much as she does what's inside the box. She emphasizes that this feature creates a cake so fluffy and tender that people will immediately notice the difference.

We thoroughly enjoyed that two of the three chefs named Funfetti as a top favorite. It's a sweet reminder that cake mixes loaded with sprinkles-whether white, yellow or strawberry-aren't just for kids. Adults can fully enjoy this nostalgic, delightfully colorful treat too.

Chef-Approved Tips for Making Cake Mix 10x Better

Lopez often builds on the boxed base with simple upgrades like swapping water for milk, adding an extra egg yolk to the mix (genius!) or brushing the cooled cake with simple syrup. For her, boxed mixes shine when time is tight. "Baking is a science…boxed mixes are perfected to yield delicious results every time."

Struik often keeps her upgrades minimal, maybe adding a splash of vanilla, and prefers to focus her energy on homemade frosting instead. "You know exactly what you are getting every time," she says, especially in recipes like poke cakes where the base needs to absorb flavor without falling apart.

Nguyen frequently incorporates overripe fruit, like mashed bananas, to give boxed mixes a unique twist, blurring the line between classic cake and something more inventive. For her, the appeal is simple: boxed mixes are convenient, approachable and deliver consistent results without the stress of precision baking.

Taken together, their insights reveal a surprisingly unified perspective. While brand loyalty and flavor preferences vary, all three chefs point to pudding-enhanced mixes as the real standout in the boxed cake aisle.

It's a small detail with a big impact-one that transforms a basic mix into something that tastes thoughtful, elevated and just a little bit closer to homemade.

Need more box cake mix inspo? Here are some of our favorite ways to use it:

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This story was originally published April 12, 2026 at 8:18 AM.

Our Panel of Chefs

What To Look for When Buying Cake Mix

The Best Store-Bought Cake Mix, According to 3 Chefs

Chef-Approved Tips for Making Cake Mix 10x Better

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