Mug Cake Showdown

Betty Crocker, Duncan Hines, and Ghirardelli go head to head in the battle for best microwavable treat.

Due to Covid regulations, the Kitchen Committee isn’t able to provide you with delicious baked goods, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a freshly-baked dessert from the comfort of your own dorm. I took an early morning shuttle trip to Target to find the best options for baking a mug treat in your microwave. Just add water!

Round 1: Funfetti Cake

I compared the Betty Crocker funfetti cake ($2.99) to the Duncan Hines one ($2.79). Both boxes come with four individual mug cakes. Each cake fills a mug about halfway up.

Texture: In terms of texture, Duncan Hines was quite spongey, almost to a fault; the Betty Crocker cake was more crummy and similar to a regular box cake.

Frosting: The Betty Crocker frosting tastes like a typical jar of frosting you’d find at the grocery store–nothing special. In the Duncan Hines cake, rainbow sprinkles were noticeably absent from the icing; it was like grocery store icing but more chemical-y and plastic-y. I would not eat that icing straight.

Overall: The taste of the Duncan Hines cake was pretty bland. It’s almost like eating a mirage of a cake. You know you’re eating it but it’s not really there. In my opinion, it’s best consumed in cake-batter form because then you at least get the taste of cake batter without the concerning texture. (For legal reasons, I don’t recommend this. Don’t risk salmonella). The Betty Crocker cake is pretty comparable to a box mix and a can of frosting, it’s obviously not homemade but it’s definitely enjoyable if you’re craving some cake. You barely even notice it came straight out of your microwave. Our panel of 3 judges were unanimously in favor of the Betty Crocker mix.

Round 2: Mug Brownies

Texture: The texture of the Ghirardelli brownie was more spongy, bordering gelatinous. It was more bouncy than the Betty Crocker brownie. Betty Crocker was more like a fudgy brownie while Ghirardelli was practically chocolate cake.

Frosting: The Betty Crocker brownie came with “fudge topping”. It was very sweet but helped make the brownie more moist. The Ghirardelli has no icing but has chocolate chips, a big advantage to making a moist brownie.

Overall: This was a highly contentious round for the judges. The Ghirardelli brownie was less chocolatey, but had higher quality chocolate. One judge described that it had more “chew” and “substance,” while the Betty Crocker brownie melts away in your mouth, similar to a pudding. Personally, I found the Betty Crocker brownie to be better if you’re craving something chocolatey and gooey. The Ghirardelli basically bounced back when I bit it. They are also both delicious as brownie batter too (again, beware of salmonella).

Round 3: The Finals

Honestly, choosing the superior mug dessert proved to be a bigger challenge than expected. Tensions are still high between judges. It really depends on whether you’re in the mood for a cake or a brownie. I’d recommend getting some friends and trying them for yourself. There were even more varieties at Target that I wasn’t able to try. Even though it’s just measuring water and stirring it, you’ll feel oddly accomplished with your mug creation.

[COVID Disclaimer: The boxes contained multiples of each cake so each judge was able to prepare their own desert.]