This indulgent chocolate brownie cake tastes rich and fudgy like a brownie but feels light and fluffy like a cake! Fancy enough for a party, easy enough for a sweet treat any time!
I think everyone ends up on one side of the fence or the other. You either like chocolate CAKE or you like chocolate BROWNIES.
When you make a box of brownies (or use Homemade Brownie Mix), you either add two eggs for fudge-like brownies, or three eggs for cake-like brownies.
But what if you really truly like BOTH?
You honestly like both chocolate cake AND chocolate brownies and wish there was a way you could smash them together for a CHOCOLATE BROWNIE CAKE?
With this chocolate brownie cake recipe, you can!
CHOCOLATE BROWNIE CAKE RECIPE
This chocolate brownie cake recipe is one of my favorite desserts because it…
- TASTES like that dark, rich, chocolate fudgy flavor of a brownie we all know and love.
- FEELS like a light and fluffy cake that you picked up from a bakery.
- It’s delicious as-is but can be dressed up with a simple sprinkle of powdered sugar or sliced strawberries, or you can treat it like a true cake and frost it with icing.
- It’s everything you want when a brownie mix and cake mix are combined!
Plus, this fudgy brownie cake is super easy to make, impossible to screw up, and a winner for every person in my family!
BROWNIE CAKE RECIPE INGREDIENTS
Here’s what you need to make this chocolate brownie cake recipe:
- Flour. I’ve used all purpose flour and whole wheat flour and they both work just fine.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder + vanilla extract. The usual suspects when making brownies or cake.
- Baking powder + salt. Brownie cake rises more than regular brownies, so we need baking powder for lift.
- Granulated sugar. I prefer to bake with natural sweeteners whenever possible (i.e. honey or maple syrup), but some recipes – like cakes – require granulated sugar for texture. I recommend Turbinado or coconut sugar.
- Coconut oil. It’s the secret ingredient to that signature brownie fudginess! You can use melted unsalted butter instead, but you’ll end up with a more cake-y texture.
- Eggs. The eggs act as a binder to hold everything together and help the batter rise.
- Sour cream (or full-fat Greek yogurt). This gives the cake brownie an extra richness.
- Instant decaf coffee granules (optional). Adding these won’t make your brownie chocolate cake taste like coffee, but it will make for a deeper mocha flavor that’s really yummy! Add them if you already have them on hand.
Psst…Did you know that many salts contain MICROPLASTICS? It’s a sneaky toxin that may be in your everyday salt, and thus your everyday food (um, gross). I love Ava Jane’s Kitchen because their salt is FREE of microplastics, and it tastes delicious! (PLUS, you can get a free 8oz. bag of sea salt – just pay shipping and handling!)
HOW TO PREPARE BROWNIE CAKE
The instructions for this chocolate brownie cake recipe are pretty straightforward:
Step 1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease an 8×8 baking pan or round cake pans with cooking spray.
Step 2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
Step 3. In a stand mixer or separate large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and coconut oil until fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat well again.
Step 4. Add half of the flour mixture, mixing well, then add the sour cream and whisk well, and finally add the rest of the dry ingredients and beat gently until everything is well incorporated.
Step 5. Using a rubber spatula, pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 35 minutes.
This brownie cake is considered done when a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out slightly fudgy – NOT CLEAN. This is important. If you keep adding time, hoping for a clean toothpick, it won’t happen. You’ll only get an overdone brownie cake!
Let the brownie cake cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
Store any leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days…if it lasts that long! You can also place it in the fridge for longer storage. If freezing, wrap it in plastic wrap before putting it in the freezer.
SERVE THIS RECIPE OF CHOCOLATE BROWNIE CAKE WITH
This recipe of chocolate brownie cake is delicious on its own, but you can take it over the top with some yummy toppings!
ULTIMATE BROWNIE CAKE RECIPE FAQS
What is the difference between a cake and a brownie?
Cake is typically light and fluffy and has a dry crumb, meaning a little bit will fall off to the side when you cut the cake and those crumbs will generally be light and fluffy and dry as well.
Brownies are super moist; they don’t rise much in baking and they often feel more wet… as if the batter didn’t cook all the way through (even though you know it did!).
This brownie cake recipe is the perfect combination of fluffy and moist!
What do eggs do in brownies?
Egg act as a binder (meaning they hold the ingredients together) and as a lifting agent (eggs help the brownies to rise during baking).
What makes a brownie fudgy?
Personally, I think a lower egg white to egg yolk ratio is what makes brownies fudgy. When you use two eggs, you have plenty of yolk for fudgy and enough white for rise.
When you add that third egg though, the extra yolk is overpowered by the extra white and your brownies come out more like cake. This is why the directions on a box of brownie mix tell you to add an extra egg when specifying how to make cake like brownies.
Can this coconut oil cake be a chocolate brownie bundt cake?
Sure! Just use a bundt pan instead of a square pan when baking.
OTHER FAVORITE CHOCOLATE CAKES AND BROWNIES
Fight Inflation Workshop!
Sign up for my FREE Fight Inflation Workshop and learn simple strategies to save money, even with rising food costs!
Brownie Cake
This indulgent chocolate brownie cake tastes rich and fudgy like a brownie but feels light and fluffy like a cake! Fancy enough for a party, easy enough for a sweet treat any time!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 9 pieces 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8×8 baking pan with cooking spray.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. In a stand mixer, or separate large bowl , beat the coconut oil and sugar for a full ten minutes. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat for three minutes.
- Add half the flour mixture and beat gently. Add the sour cream and beat gently. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat gently until everything is well incorporated. Turn the speed up a notch and beat for ten seconds.
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for about 35 minutes. A knife or toothpick inserted into the middle will come out slightly fudgey. Let cake cool for 5 minutes before cutting.
- Top with your favorite butter cream icing (and you can even substitute coconut oil instead of butter!)
Notes
- Let the brownie cake cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting.
- Store any leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days…if it lasts that long! You can also place it in the fridge for longer storage. If freezing, wrap it in plastic wrap before putting it in the freezer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 335
