This easy brownie cake is for all of the brownie lovers out there! It has all of the wonderful flavor of brownies in the form of a two layer cake. This cake is made from a doctored brownie mix, which is why it has the flavor and texture of a cake-like brownies. It has delicious chocolate brownie flavor without being overly rich. At two layers, it doesn’t stand quite as tall as the usual cakes (approximately an inch shorter), but is every bit as impressive! Keep this brownie cake in mind the next time you need a great birthday cake recipe, potluck dessert, holiday cake, and more!
PREP TIME: 15MINUTES MINS
COOK TIME: 30MINUTES MINS
COURSE: DESSERT
SERVINGS: 15
Ingredients
▢1 Box Brownie Mix (We like Duncan Hines Double Fudge Brownie Mix- 17.6 oz) *See Notes
▢½ cup (60g) All Purpose Flour
▢½ cup (100g) granulated sugar
▢1 teaspoon (4g) Baking Powder
▢2½ Tablespoons (15g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
▢½ cup (108g) vegetable oil
▢1 cup sour cream (we use full fat)
▢½ cup water
▢3 large eggs
▢Fudge Packet (if your brownie mix comes with one)
FOR THE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
▢2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, softened (Do not microwave)
▢6 cups (690g) powdered sugar
▢¾ cup (70g) unsweetened cocoa (measure then sift)
▢⅓ -½ cup (72g) milk (adjust amount for desired consistency)
▢2 teaspoons 8g vanilla extract 8 grams
▢½ teaspoon 3g salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease two 8 inch round cake pans. We also added circles of parchment to the bottom of each pan (as usual).
This recipe can be prepared in a large mixing bowl, just as when making brownies from a mix. No mixer needed.
Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and whisk together until combined. (This is the brownie mix, flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder.)
Add the remaining ingredients (eggs, sour cream, fudge packet (if your mix has one), water, and vegetable oil) and stir until well combined. I find it easiest to use a rubber spatula for this step.
Divide the cake batter between two 8 inch cake pans. (This recipe makes about 5 cups of batter.)
Bake at 350℉ for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick can be inserted into the cake layers and comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.
Cool the cake layers in the cake pans (preferably on a cooling rack) for 5 minutes before turning out. Cool completely before frosting.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
Add butter and mix on low to medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla and blend into the butter.
Add powdered sugar, salt, and cocoa powder.
Add most of the milk and mix on low speed, increasing to medium as the ingredients become incorporated.
Continue to mix adding remaining milk as needed. It may take 3-5 minutes to reach the smoothness and consistency you like. It will take longer if using a hand mixer. As you mix, the frosting will become very smooth. You can add additional milk (1 Tablespoon at a time) if the frosting is too thick or additional powdered sugar if too soft.
DECORATING THE CAKE
Place the first cake layer on a cake pedestal and spread with frosting. Top with the second cake layer and frost the cake around the sides and top with a thin layer of frosting. (This is the “crumb coat”.)
At this point, we like to chill the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes (or longer in the refrigerator) to firm everything up. (Chill the bowl of frosting in the refrigerator during this time if needed).
Frost the cake with a second layer of frosting. Decorate however you like! At this point, we added texture around the sides of the cake using a small offset spatula, making diagonal strokes from bottom to top.
We added additional piping on top of the cake, piping large frosting shells using a large star (1M) piping tip.
Keep the cake in an airtight container or under a cake dome in a cool room in your house for 1-2 days or in refrigerator for longer. If refrigerating, you should remove the cake a couple of hours before serving so that it has time to warm and soften.
Notes
This recipe makes a beautiful two layer cake but it is not as tall as most of the cakes on our site site. (Probably stands approximately 3 inches tall rather than 4.) We experimented with adding even more flour, etc. to extend it, but doing this made it taste less like brownies. So, a shorter cake is better in this case. (However, you can always double the recipe if you need to!)
These cake layers can be tightly wrapped with plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and frozen for up to three months if baking in advance.
Brownie Cake Mix: So far, our favorite mix for this recipe has been Duncan Hines Double Fudge Brownie Mix (17.6 oz). We also tried Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix (18 oz), but it tasted more like chocolate cake than brownies.
As posted on My Cake School, by Melissa and Bebe.