This is how to make a brownie cake with boxed brownies or our homemade brownie mix! It’s an easy dessert recipe that is rich and fudgy with moist chocolate slices and frosting for your next birthday celebration.
Ok so I bet you didn’t think this was made from a box of Ghirardelli brownie mix huh? I have used Pillsbury and Betty Crocker too and it is just as delicious. You can create a 2 layer cake to decorate just by amping up this ready made mix this year!
You do need to add a few more ingredients to transition this into a fluffy treat but used as the base makes it easier than ever and bakery-like. A brownie mix hack of sorts we had to share with you so you can make it for your next holiday.
I have made this with all different brands and there is just a very slight difference. I will say that you get what you pay for as far as boxed brownies go. Ghirardelli is likely the most expensive at the store but is richer and comes with mini chocolate chips inside already. Store brands will have less flavor and won’t be as fudgy.
Brownie Cake with Brownie Mix Ingredients
Boxed brownie mix, about 18 oz is normal and what we used here. Just like when making Muffin Mix Cake, I will tell you that the more expensive brands are worth it with better ingredients.
Granulated white sugar will make it sweeter than normal. I haven’t tried with a sugar-free alternative but imagine it would be fine
All purpose flour is required to transition it into a cake texture. See our all purpose flour substitute chart if you need to use something else.
Baking powder helps it rise more than normal but keep in mind this will be rather dense no matter what
Cocoa powder makes it richer, and once again quality matters when it comes to this one too.
Butter, melted to make fudgy, dairy free alternative works. You could even use mayo like our mayonnaise cake
Sour cream or Greek yogurt works for this, to add fat into the batter and make it fudgy in texture
Water, or coca cola for liquid. I mean any liquid works for this really but these are the only ones I have used.
Eggs are best added when at room temperature when baking anything really, just a tip.
Can you add chocolate chips?
Yes you can add semi sweet chocolate chips into the mix, about 1/2 cup, and some on the outside for flair too. A naked cake is kinda’ fun but of course you can frost with a ready made tub, homemade frosting or pour chocolate ganache over the top when done.
For the required liquid you could use Coca-Cola for a richer flavor like our 2 Ingredient cake vs. water.
How Long to Bake a Brownie Cake
You are going to bake two rounds full in about 35 minutes until the edges are starting to crack and the middle no longer looks wet. You want to check with a toothpick until you get moist crumbs attached, not dry. Using your finger it should feel pretty firm in the center. Allow to cool in the pan before removing.
You could in fact bake this in smaller forms like our brownie cupcakes from brownie mix. Same batter but is much faster and a lot easier to serve with little hands.
Can you make a layered cake with boxed brownie mix?
You can!! Use the ingredients in the recipe card below to turn brownie mix into a cake! It will fill two 8 inch round pans. Allow to cool, frost the middle, layer the two and then frost the outside just like you would if you used cake mix but this is better and richer.
What is the best pan to use?
Two 8″ round pans turn out the best for this one. If you didn’t want to layer it you could use a 9×13″ rectangular pan instead. They should take about the same bake time either way. The larger one takes less work to serve, just slather frosting on top with a rubber spatula, slice and serve.
Brownie Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 2 8 inch cake pans
- 1 Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 box brownie mix
- 1/2 c sugar
- 1/2 c all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 c butter, melted
- 1 c sour cream, or Greek yogurt
- 1/2 c water, or coca cola
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 c mini chocolate chips
- Brownie Frosting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 2 – 8” cake pans with nonstick cooking spray containing flour. (May also cut parchment paper circles for the bottom of each pan to prevent sticking)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the brownie mix, sugar, flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Add in the wet ingredients: melted butter, sour cream, water, vanilla and eggs and whisk until well combined. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
- Divide the cake batter equally between the two cake pans and place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer/knife comes out cleanly. Let the cake cool in the pans for about 10 minutes before removing and placing on a cooling rack to come to room temperature.
- Make the frosting or use 1 tub of ready made. Place the first layer of cake onto a serving platter or cake pedestal and scoop about ½ c of frosting and spread it in an even layer over the cake. Place the second layer of cake and use a spatula to create a thin layer of frosting all over
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Want to make boxed cake mix brownies sometime too? I mean this was our first hack using a chocolate cake mix and nobody could taste the difference!
Air Fryer Brownie Cake
If you are making this in a small batch like our Air Fryer cake you would need a pan that fits inside your machine with the temperature and timing listed there. Adjust until the middle comes out mostly clean with crumbs attached.
Instant Pot Method
You would need to use a springform pan to essentially make a version of our pressure cooker brownies. Downside to this is that it is small so you could only “bake” about 1/4 at a time.
Fantastic recipe, easy to understand!
so glad