This decadent chocolate brownie cake is the best mix of a slightly fluffy chocolate cake and a dense fudgy brownie. You get the best of both worlds with this great recipe. And the best part is that this is all made in one bowl!
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Chocolate Brownie Cake Recipe
Say goodbye to boxed cake mix and boxed brownie mix, because this easy chocolate brownie cake hits all of that and more. This recipe is perfect for the chocolate lover in your life. Make this for a special occasion or for an easy dessert to take to a family get-together! If I sold you already, just hit the ‘jump to recipe button to get to the recipe card so you can get to baking!
What’s the Difference Between Brownies and Cake?
Brownies have a fudgy, chewy, dense texture and use minimal (if any!) raising agents like baking soda and baking powder. Cake, on the other hand, has moist crumbs with a fluffy texture and uses raising agents to get a higher, creamy cake. You will also find more flour in cakes than in brownies.
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The Players aka The Ingredients
- Butter – This is the fat that I prefer when baking this recipe. I always use salted butter when baking.
- Water – Just plain filtered water will be fine here.
- Unsweetened Baking Chocolate – You’ll need 1 ½ ounces which will be 1 and a half baking squares. The perfect amount for this rich chocolate cake.
- Flour – White all-purpose flour is perfect for this recipe.
- Brown Sugar – I use light brown sugar in this chocolate brownie cake recipe. The brown sugar completely replaces granulated white sugar, which gives a deeper chocolate flavor to the brownie cake.
- Baking Soda – Because I’m looking for a texture that is in between a cake and brownies, I add just a little bit of baking soda.
- Salt – Although I’m using salted butter, I still add a pinch to the brownie batter.
- Vanilla Extract – This gives a creamy, warm flavor to the brownie cake and helps create a rich chocolate flavor.
- Eggs – I always use large eggs when I bake, and I like them to be room temperature eggs.
- Sour Cream – I use full-fat sour cream. You can also substitute the sour cream for Greek yogurt if you’d like. This helps create a tender cake.
- Milk – I always purchase whole milk for my family, so that is what I’ll be using in the frosting. Feel free to use whatever milk you have on hand.
- Powdered Sugar – You can sift the confectioner’s sugar if you’d like, but I’m lazy and skip this part haha!
How to Make this Homemade Chocolate Brownie Cake
The first step to making this delicious, fudgy cake is to spray a 13”x9” baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
In a large saucepan (I always like to use a spouted saucepan so it makes pouring easier and more efficient) place your butter in the saucepan and melt it over medium heat. To your melted butter, add in your water and baking chocolate and allow all the ingredients to melt together until it’s a smooth consistency. Once the chocolate is completely melted, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool for 5 minutes.
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To the same saucepan with your melted chocolate (this makes for easy cleanup since this is all done in one saucepan!) add in your flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt and stir it until well combined either with a whisk, rubber spatula or wooden spoon.
Once thoroughly combined, add in your vanilla and sour cream first. This will help to cool the chocolate mixture down even more before adding in your eggs. You don’t want to add cold eggs to a warm mixture because it will create scrambled eggs, which isn’t pleasant in cakes or brownies. This is why I prefer to use room temperature eggs. Once your vanilla and sour cream is mixed, add in your eggs and stir well.
Pour the cake batter into your prepared pan and place in the oven and cook for 30 minutes at 375 degrees F.
While the cake is baking, wash out that saucepan that you made the batter in (or take a clean, small saucepan) and add your butter, baking chocolate squares, and milk to the saucepan and allow the butter and chocolate to melt. Bring to a slight simmer and whisk constantly so that the chocolate mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and whisk in your powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
When your timer is up, check your cake by placing a toothpick in the center of the pan.If the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done. If you find the toothpick is a little wet when you pull the toothpick out from the center of the cake, bake your cake for an extra few minutes.
Place your cake on a wire rack and allow the cake to cool for 20 minutes. Once the cake has cooled down a little bit, go ahead and pour your decadent chocolate fudge frosting over the warm cake. Spread evenly across this ultimate brownie cake and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before serving.
You can leave off the chocolate frosting if you’d like since the fudgy brownie is sweet enough. You can sift a light dusting of cocoa powder or powdered sugar over this chocolate fudge brownie cake to finish the look so it’s not so naked. To make these fudgy brownies even more decadent, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you’ve got yourself one amazing dessert!
How to Store This Chocolate Brownie Cake
To store your chocolate brownie cake, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and leave on the counter. Your leftover cake will stay good for up to 3 days.
Looking For Other Delicious Dessert Recipes? Give these a go next!
- One-Bowl Fudgy Espresso Brownies (Starbucks Copycat)
- Starbucks Iced Lemon Loaf Copycat Recipe
- Cherry and Almond Thumbprint Cookies
- Starbucks Dupe Pumpkin Scones
- The Best M&M Monster Cookies with Peanut Butter
- Fresh Summer Berry Cobbler
- Classic Homemade Blueberry Pie
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If you end up making the Chocolate Brownie Cake, leave me a comment down below, I’d love to chat with you!
The Best Homemade Chocolate Brownie Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Brownie Batter
- 3/4 cup butter (12 tablespoons)
- 1 cup water
- 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
- 2 cups flour
- 1 3/4 cups light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 cup sour cream
Chocolate Icing
- 1/2 cup butter (8 tablespoons)
- 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
- 1/2 cup milk
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and spray a 13"x9" baking dish with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In a large saucepan over medium-low heat, add butter, water, and baking chocolate. Stir until chocolate has melted. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
- To the same saucepan with the melted chocolate, add flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt and mix until well combined. Add in vanilla, eggs, and sour cream and stir well.
- Pour brownie batter into your prepared baking pan and bake for 30 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes.
- While the cake is baking, take a small saucepan and add butter, baking chocolate, and milk. Bring mixture to simmer, while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add in powdered sugar and vanilla.
- Spread icing over warm brownies and allow the cake to cool completely before cutting into bars. Enjoy!
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