Duncan Hines’ new Signature Desserts moist, full of flavor

Dessert has never been so easy or so elegant.

Duncan Hines keeps adding more and more options to its new line of Signature Desserts, boxed mixes with all the flourishes of a bakery dessert. Spokesman-Review food panel tasters were more impressed with two of the latest offerings.

The Chocolate Molten Lava Cake received four stars for taste, while the White Chocolate Raspberry Cake earned three-and-a-half stars from the panel. Tasters previously tested the Orange Dreamsicle Cake and gave it three stars.

Marilyn Moore gave the Chocolate Molten Lava Cake her highest praise: “(I’m) not sure if you would know this was not made from scratch.” The individual cakes are baked in a muffin tin and come out of the oven with a molten chocolate center.

“Yum, yum, yum. This is great, portion-sized, moist-chocolaty heaven. This is not low-calorie,” said Nancy Robinson.

Only Donald Clegg thought it was too much. “Total sugar overload,” he said. A few tasters said they thought the cake got a little dried out during baking.

The baking kits come with all of the dry ingredients, and home cooks must add eggs, water and oil to the mix. There was packet of raspberry filling for the White Chocolate Raspberry Cake and the frosting packet to be mixed up with two sticks of butter.

The cake was an impressive-looking layer cake with enough frosting and filling for a decorative finish.

Most tasters said they liked the White Chocolate Raspberry cake but didn’t give it as high marks as the lava cakes.

“Very good. Moist, flavorful and a terrific blend of flavors,” Larry Inman said.

Moore was not impressed, even mistaking the flavor of the cake. “Run of the mill yellow cake. When I heard there was a cup of butter in the icing it made me question, ‘Do I want to make this?’ “

Duncan Hines Signature Desserts Chocolate Molten Lava Cake

Price: $3.29

Nutrition per serving, 1/12 package: 310 calories, 15 grams fat (2.5 grams saturated, 43 percent fat calories), 4 grams protein, 43 grams carbohydrate, 40 milligrams cholesterol, 2 grams dietary fiber, 190 milligrams sodium.

Taste: • • • •

Value: • • • •

Comments: “Warning! Do not try this product without milk. Your tongue will be forever stuck to the roof of your mouth. Flavor good, (but) texture dry.” – Larry Inman

“My wife and I often make brownie cupcakes for children’s parties, but ours don’t have a great fudge center like these. Yummy.” – Skip Hubbard

“Total sugar overload – too much for me and too dried out on the outside.” – Donald Clegg

Duncan Hines Signature Desserts White Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Price: $3.29

Nutrition per serving, 1/12 package, without frosting: 350 calories, 4.5 grams fat (2 grams saturated, 12 percent fat calories), no protein, 81 grams carbohydrate, 5 milligrams cholesterol, no dietary fiber, 40 milligrams sodium.

Taste: • • • 1/2

Value: • • • 1/2

Comments: “Could be a little moister, but nice raspberry filling in the center and serviceable frosting.” – Donald Clegg

“Moist and rich with great frosting, raspberry filling.” – Nancy Robinson

“Other than needing a bit more raspberry filling, it’s tolerable but nothing special.” – Skip Hubbard