Make a Brownie Cake

Brownies are delicious, but did you know that you can also bake them into a cake? A brownie cake is denser and richer than your average chocolate cake. You could even add a few extras to make it even more brownie-like, such as chopped pecans or walnuts, or a chocolate ganache topping!

Ingredients

Basic Brownie Cake[1]

  • ¾ cups (170 grams) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
  • 8 ounces (225 grams) dark chocolate, chopped
  • 1 cup (225 grams) caster sugar
  • 3 medium eggs, separated
  • ⅔ cups (65 grams) all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup (65 grams) pecan or walnuts, chopped (optional)
  • Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

Layered Brownie Cake[2]

  • 1½ cups (340 grams) butter
  • 6 ounces (175 grams) unsweetened chocolate, chopped
  • 3 cups (675 grams) caster sugar
  • 5 eggs
  • 1½ cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • ¾ teaspoon salt

Frosting

  • 16 ounces (450 grams) semisweet chocolate, chopped
  • 3 cups (700 milliliters) heavy whipping cream
  • ½ cup (115 grams) white sugar
  • 3 ounces (85 grams) milk chocolate, shaved

Easy Brownie Cake[3]

  • 1 box chocolate cake mix (or fudge brownie mix)
  • 1 box fudge brownie mix
  • 4 eggs
  • 1¼ cups (300 milliliters) water
  • 1 cup (240 milliliters) vegetable oil

Ganache Topping

  • 1 cup (240 milliliters) heavy whipping cream
  • 12 ounces (350 grams) semisweet chocolate chips

Steps

Making a Basic Brownie Cake

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C/Gas 4) and prepare your cake pan. Lightly grease the inside of an 8 to 10 inch (20.32 to 25.4 centimeters) cake pan with some butter. Line the cake pan with parchment paper, and grease the parchment paper as well. Set the cake pan aside when you are done.
    • If you absolutely cannot get any parchment paper, then you can leave it out. The parchment paper will simply prevent the cake from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
  2. Melt the butter, sugar, and 6 ounces (175 grams) of chocolate in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over low heat. Stir the mixture occasionally as it melts with a rubber spatula. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan from time to time to prevent any scorching. Once the chocolate has melted, set the saucepan aside so that it can cool.
    • Don't use all of the chocolate just yet. You will be using the rest of it later in the recipe.
  3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. If you have not yet done so, separate the yolks from the whites. You can put the yolks directly into the saucepan, but you should put the whites into a separate bowl. You can separate the eggs by passing the yolks back and forth between two shells, or you can use a special egg separator.
  4. Whisk the yolks into the chocolate. Make sure that the chocolate has cooled a little, then whisk the egg yolks. Keep whisking until the yolks break and mix evenly into the chocolate. You should not see any streaks of egg yolk.
    • If the chocolate is too hot to touch, it is too hot for the eggs. If you add eggs to the chocolate too soon, they will get cooked!
  5. Add the flour, nuts (if using), and the rest of the chocolate. Stir the mixture again until everything is evenly combined. You can continue using a whisk for this, or you can switch over to a rubber spatula. Scrape the bottom and sides of the saucepan to ensure that everything gets evenly mixed.
    • The nuts are not completely necessary, but they will give the cake more texture and flavor. They will also make it more brownie-like; pecans and walnuts are a popular addition to brownies.
  6. Beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold them into the batter. You can beat the egg whites using an electric handheld beater, a stand mixer, or a food processor fitted with whisks. You can also do it by hand, but it will take much longer. The egg whites should be white, thick, and foamy.
  7. Pour the batter into the greased cake pan, and bake it for 35 to 40 minutes. Make sure that the baking rack is in the center of the oven. The cake is ready when the top turns crusty, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  8. Let the cake cool a little before removing it from the pan. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 to 15 minutes first, then remove it from the cake pan. If you used a spring-form pan, simply open up the sides. If you used a regular cake pan, run a knife along the inside of the cake pan, then dump the cake out onto a serving plate.
  9. Serve the cake. If you'd like, you can dust it with some powdered sugar. You can serve it while it is still warm, or you can let it cool completely. Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream go great with this type of cake.[4]

Making a Layered Brownie Cake

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare your baking pans. Lightly grease the inside of three 9-inch (22.86 centimeters) cake pans. Dust the inside of each pan with flour, then tap out the excess.
  2. Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat. Cut the butter into small cubes, and add it to the saucepan along with 6 ounces (175 grams) of chocolate. Turn the heat up to medium, and wait for the butter and chocolate to melt, stirring with a rubber spatula occasionally.
  3. Take the saucepan off the stove, and stir in 3 cups (675 grams) of sugar. Keep stirring until the sugar melts. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan from time to time as you do so.
  4. Let the mixture cool a little, then beat in the eggs one at a time. If you beat the eggs in too soon, you'll risk them cooking and forming clumps. Stir the eggs in using a whisk, so that the yolks break easier. Keep stirring until they are mixed evenly into the batter; you should not see any streak of egg yolk.
  5. Stir in the flour, vanilla extract, and salt. Keep stirring until everything is evenly combined, and there are not lumps or streaks left. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan.
  6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans. Use a rubber spatula to help guide the mixture into the pans, and to scrape any residual batter from the saucepan. Make sure that each pan has an even amount of batter in it. Don't worry if it looks thin. You will be stacking these on top of each other to create a tall, layered cake.
  7. Bake for the cakes for 23 to 25 minutes. The cakes are ready when a toothpick poked into the middle comes out clean. Try to bake all of the cakes on the same level. If your oven is small, and you have to bake them at different levels, then be sure to rotate the cakes at regular intervals. This will ensure that all the cakes bake evenly.
  8. Let the cakes cool. Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for 10 to 15 minutes first, then remove them from the pans, and let them finish cooling completely. The cakes must be cool before you frost them. If they are warm, the frosting will melt.
    • Set one of the cakes down onto the serving dish you want to use. Set the other ones aside.
  9. Melt 16 ounces (450 grams) of chopped chocolate in a saucepan over medium heat, then stir in the heavy cream and ½ cup (115 grams) of sugar. Keep stirring until the sugar has dissolved, and the heavy cream is evenly mixed in with the chocolate. You don't want to see any streaks or swirls of heavy cream.
    • You can use the same saucepan as before, but make sure that you clean it first.
    • Do not add in the shaved chocolate yet. You will be using that to decorate your cake with.
  10. Bring the mixture to a boil, and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously. Don't worry if the mixture looks too thin to be frosting. It will thicken up once it cools, and it will continue to thicken when you beat it.
  11. Pour the mixture into a bowl, and refrigerate it for 2 to 3 hours. As the mixture cools, it will thicken, sort of like pudding. Stir the mixture occasionally as it cools to prevent a skin from forming on top.
    • Consider placing a sheet of plastic wrap right against the surface of the mixture. This will further help prevent a skin from forming on top.
  12. Beat the mixture until it gets stiff peaks. You can do this using a handheld beat, an electric stand mixer, or even a food processor fitted with whisks. You an try doing it by hand with a plain old whisk, but it will take much longer.
  13. Start assembling and decorating the cake. Spread a thick layer of the whipped, chocolate cream over the top of your first cake, then place the second cake on top. Repeat with the second cake, and finish off with spreading a generous amount of whipped chocolate cream on top of the third cake.
    • For a more professional finish, use a off-set cake decorating spatula.
  14. Finish frosting and decorating the cake. Once you have the cakes all stacked, start spreading frosting over the sides of the cake. If you have any frosting leftover, you can pipe it on top of the cake using a piping bag and star-shaped decorating tip. Finish off by sprinkling the shaved chocolate all over the top of the cake.[2]
    • For extra texture, gently tap the sides of the cake with a spatula or the back of a spoon. This will create a spiky texture.

Making an Easy Brownie Cake

  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C) and prepare a bundt pan. You can do this by spraying the inside with a non-stick cooking spray, or by greasing it with butter. If you grease it with butter, be sure to lightly dust the inside with flour as well.
  2. Add both the cake mix and brownie mix into a large bowl. If you can't find any chocolate cake mix, then you can use a second box of brownie mix instead. This will make your cake more brownie-like however.
  3. Whisk in the eggs, water, and vegetable oil. Keep whisking until everything is evenly combined and there are no streaks or swirls. There should be hardly any lumps left. You can do this by hand, or you can use an electric mixer.
  4. Pour the batter into the bundt pan, and bake it for 50 to 55 minutes. Use a rubber spatula to help guide the mixture into the pan, and to scrape out any excess from the bowl. Gently jiggle the bundt pan from side to side to help settle the batter before putting it into the oven. The cake is done when a toothpick poked into it comes out clean.
  5. Let the cake cool. Allow it to cool for about 5 minutes in the pan first. Turn the cake out onto a serving plate, and let it finish cooling for another 30 minutes or so.
  6. Heat the heavy whipping cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it is just short of boiling. You do not want it to come to a boil, but you want it to be very close. You should see lots of steam.
  7. Add the chocolate chips, and wait 5 minutes. Do not touch or stir the mixture during this time. It may puff up and begin to bubble or foam. This is fine.
  8. Whisk the heavy cream and chocolate together for about 1 minute. You want the mixture to be shiny, smooth, and well-combined.
  9. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake. You can serve the cake immediately, or you can let the ganache cool and set up a little. This may take a few minutes. Note that the ganache will never fully harden like solid chocolate from the store.[3]

Tips

  • Mix all the wet ingredients first, then slowly pour dry ingredients into batter.
  • You can decorate your brownie cake in any way you want; the decorating instructions given in these methods are simply suggestions.
  • Decorate your cake with chocolate ganache, and garnish it with chocolate chips or chopped pecans/walnuts to make it more brownie like.
  • To give your brownie cake more flavor, cut it in half, and spread some raspberry or strawberry jam on top of the first layer. Re-assemble the cake before serving it.
  • If you are making the cake and brownie mix version, you can easily halve it, and use just one box of cake mix.

Warnings

  • Do not over mix it your ingredients.
  • Do not get burned when removing the brownie cake. When inserting or removing the brownie cake, open the oven door all the way. Always use an oven mitt.

Things You'll Need

Basic Brownie Cake

  • 8 to 10 inch (20.32 to 25.4 centimeters) cake pan
  • Parchment paper
  • Saucepan
  • Rubber spatula
  • Small bowl
  • Whisk
  • Electric mixer or food processor fitted with whisks

Layered Brownie Cake

  • 3 9-inch (22.86 centimeters) cake pans
  • Saucepan
  • Rubber spatula
  • Whisk
  • Large bowl
  • Electric mixer or food processor fitted with whisks
  • Off-set cake decorating spatula (optional, but recommended)

Easy Brownie Cake

  • Bundt pan
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Whisk or electric mixer
  • Saucepan
  • Rubber spatula

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2882/chocolate-brownie-cake-
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/triple-layer-brownie-cake
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 http://iambaker.net/chocolate-brownie-cake/
  4. ↑ http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2882/chocolate-brownie-cake-

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