
Duncan Hines Signature Layer Cake Mix, Spice
What You Should Know
Duncan Hines Signature Layer Cake Mix, Spice sits on the supermarket baking aisle alongside other boxed cake mixes, frostings, and packaged dessert mixes — often near chocolate chips, boxed pudding and holiday baking staples. It’s the kind of product shoppers grab for occasions like birthdays, potlucks, holiday baking and easy weekend desserts. The brand positions itself as a reliable, all-American baking classic: familiar, family-oriented and aimed at busy home bakers who want consistent results without starting from scratch. Packaging leans on a warm, homey aesthetic and comfort-food language rather than health claims; you’ll see no organic seals, but the box may highlight spices like cinnamon and nutmeg and the “Perfectly Moist” benefit. Ingredients and label styling create a mild health halo (kosher certification, flavor descriptors) but there are no “natural” or organic certifications listed. In plain terms this is a processed baking mix — a packaged convenience product that combines refined flour, sugar and several emulsifiers, leavening agents and gums to simplify baking. Sensory expectations: the batter mixes to a smooth, velvety texture and bakes into a tender, moist crumb with warm spice notes; finished cake is soft, slightly dense and sweet, suited to cream cheese or buttercream frosting. The box format is a single-use paperboard pouch of dry mix; ritual use is straightforward — add water, eggs and oil, stir, pour and bake — which makes it a go-to for quick celebration cakes, last-minute desserts and cooks who prefer predictable outcomes. Culturally, it evokes childhood birthdays, church socials and weekday dessert convenience in American grocery life.
Nutrition Facts
Ingredients
Enriched, Bleached, Wheat, Flour, (Bleached, Wheat, Flour,, Niacin,, Reduced, Iron,, Thiamine, Mononitrate, Riboflavin,, Folic, Acid),, Sugar,, Leavening, (Sodium, Bicarbonate,, Sodium, Aluminum, Phosphate,, Dicalcium, Phosphate,, Monocalcium, Phosphate),, Wheat, Starch,, Less, than, 2%, of:, Canola, Oil,, Spice,, Salt,, Propylene, Glycol, Mono-, and, Diesters,, Mono-, and, Diglycerides,, Caramel, Color,, Palm, Oil,, Cellulose, Gum,, Sodium, Stearoyl, Lactylate,, Xanthan, Gum,, Ascorbic, Acid,, Natural, Flavor..
Flagged Ingredients:
- •Canola Oil - Seed oil high in omega-6 fatty acids
- •Palm Oil - Seed oil high in omega-6 fatty acids
- •Mono- and Diglycerides - Processed emulsifier
- •Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate - Processed emulsifier
- •Caramel Color - Artificial coloring
Dietary Labels
Ultra-Processing Assessment
Ultra-Processed
Why this score?
The mix contains refined flour and sugar plus multiple industrial additives (emulsifiers, gums, stabilizers, processed oils and acidulants) and is a ready-to-use packaged product, fitting the ultraprocessed category.
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Common Questions about Duncan Hines Signature Layer Cake Mix, Spice
Well, 'healthy' can be a bit subjective! The Spice Cake Mix has a fair amount of sugar (18g per serving) and sodium (360mg), so it’s definitely more of a treat than a health food. If you’re enjoying it in moderation as part of a balanced diet, it can fit in just fine — think of it as an occasional indulgence rather than a daily staple.
