How to Choose the Best Cake Mix
With all the baking mixes you can find in the market today, it can be pretty hard and overwhelming to find a cake mix that is best for you. Some people may think, “it is just a cake.” But the truth is, “it is not just a cake mix.”
You need to find out what works best with the types of cakes you are working with and all the other ingredients you are using, not forgetting your flavors. This guide has essential factors to consider while choosing your cake mix.
Brand
The brand doesn’t seem so important, but it is something you want to check before you buy your cake mix. If it is your first time at the baking mix aisle, it might be hard to decide which one will be the most suitable for you.
In this case, you might want to do your research and check reviews to help you determine which brand you want to try out first. In the long run, it will still take you trial and error to find the best one.
Check Labels
Cake mixes are a mix of ingredients. Usually, dry ingredients are used for baking cakes. Before buying one, you want to know what you are getting yourself into. Check the labels and ingredients list to know if you have everything you need.
It will also help you find some ingredients that you don’t like or don’t use, especially for those with medical conditions and allergic reactions. Or maybe if you want vegan only or gluten-free ingredients, you can only figure out which one meets your needs by checking labels and reading ingredients lists.
Artificial Coloring
If you are more into the healthier options, you might want to stay away from things such as artificial coloring, which most cake mixes include. Again, reading the ingredient lists and checking labels will let you know if a cake mix includes artificial coloring.
A cake mix doesn’t have to have artificial colorings like cake dyes for yellow cake or red velvet. There are other options you can check out. You might want to go for options such as cocoa powder which provides natural coloring.
Hydrogenated Oils
This is usually added to the ingredients to allow the product to last longer (especially non-perishable food items) or help them taste better. However, they are not always necessarily meant to improve the flavor of the mix.
Instead, they leave your mix with harmful trans-fat that is not good for your health, especially if the mix has been packed for a long time already. To avoid this, the next time you are going shopping, just look at the ingredients list and if you see hydrogenated oils listed, put the box right back.
Finally
Choosing a good cake mix is not a challenging task; you just need to know what you need, want, and don’t want. Then always check the ingredients list and the labels to ensure you have all the ingredients you need and don’t pick something you didn’t want.