The year was 2012. I was working in an office job that I very much liked, and was freshly married. While my husband and I lived in the same place we did prior to the big event, our tiny kitchen didn’t miraculously get bigger after the ceremony. So, that meant that all of my new kitchen gadgets from the registry were staring right back at me, with no place to hide. Between a personal love of cupcakes and three new cupcake pans, I figured that maybe I should give baking a shot. And as a beginner, I trusted Duncan Hines to help get me there.
Duncan Hines is one of the most popular cake mixes you can find at the grocery store. And that’s why it’s shocking to learn that their mixes have been recalled due to salmonella concerns. Since I often brought baked goods into my coworkers whenever morale was low, it would have sent a completely different message had I used a tainted batch.
The news of the possible salmonella outbreak was released by Conagra Brands, the parent company of Duncan Hines. They said that four types of the mix would be pulled from shelves — Classic White, Classic Butter Golden, Classic Yellow, and Signature Confetti.
If you’ve ever made a last-minute cake (and who hasn’t?) you’re likely familiar with all four.
The panic started after a sample of Classic White happened to test positive for the bacteria. The company announced that all four would be pulled so that they could be as cautious as possible.
Here’s the good news — even though the thought of baking and delivering a salmonella cake is disheartening, cakes using the bad mix might be safe after proper baking. The real issue is with the raw cake batter. Even though we all know you shouldn’t eat it, this is a reminder that yes — you really shouldn’t eat it.
No matter what, this isn’t something you’d want to chance.
Luckily, there’s an easy way to tell whether or not you’ve been affected. If you have boxes of Duncan Hines in your pantry, check the Conagra Brands website to see if you have any product that’s been recalled. It’s scary to think that even our cake mixes aren’t safe these days.
