Why You May Be Better Off Skipping This Betty Crocker Cake Mix

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Big brand names aren't always an assurance of quality, and that seems to apply to baking shortcuts. While we've endorsed an affordable boxed cake mix that Aldi customers love, a feature writer for our sister site, Chowhound, took issue with Betty Crocker Super Moist Butter Pecan cake mix. She cooked up several Betty Crocker mixes and compared them, ultimately suggesting that you take a pass on the Butter Pecan mix due to its ambiguous flavor and lack of any actual nutmeats.

"There was a slightly toasty undertone — like walnuts left in the oven for a few minutes too long — but it was too subtle to make a difference [...] there isn't enough flavor in this sponge to convince me it's supposed to be butter pecan-flavored," she sniffed. Furthermore: "I'm honestly puzzled as to why Betty Crocker would try to make this cake mix work, seeing as I don't recall anyone ever asking for a butter pecan-flavored birthday cake."

On this site, we've suggested quite a few upgrades for boxed cake mix, including adding an extra egg for increased richness and upgrading your mix with chocolate hummus for a protein punch. We're tempted to agree with our Chowhound compatriot, however, that butter pecan is, at its essence, a tough flavor to work with. Like its ice cream equivalent, which she also calls out, butter pecan is arguably the wallflower of the cake aisle. Without pronounced butter flavor or pecans, it suffers an identity crisis that's evident when you taste it. Surprisingly, this cake mix is not without its fans, however. Just know that many of them are hacking the cake mix, rather than baking it as-is.

On Walmart's website, one user was enthusiastic about the butter pecan mix: "I don't normally like cake mixes but this is exceptional! It makes the best quick bread or coffee cake imaginable! You can stir in any fruit or jam or dairy and have a quick and amazing treat! [...] I love to add 3 bananas, toasted pecans, and a block of cream cheese to this mix." 

One also has to wonder if a particularly gushing Reddit review can be all wrong; to wit: "I have never, not once, had a cake better than this. We always make it the same way. Double layered butter pecan cake with french vanilla icing (the icing is made from scratch). I wait with excitement for each of our birthdays for this cake." Maybe some folks really are asking for butter pecan birthday cake after all?  

Even Betty Crocker gets in on the retooling, offering a recipe for a Cream-Filled Butter Pecan Birthday Cake that has a significant brown sugar swirl. It may be the case that this controversial cake mix is at its best as the foundation of a transformed dessert, and not as a straight cake mix.

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