Cocoa Cake Brownies

There are two camps in brownie-land: people who like cake brownies because of their lighter texture and people who prefer dense, fudgy brownies. This cake brownie recipe is the perfect compromise, with a texture that falls between airy cake-like brownies and dense, fudgy brownies.

The recipe comes together in 30 minutes, which is plenty quick enough for a weeknight dessert. By the time you’ve finished dinner, the brownies will be cool enough to cut and everyone will be happy no matter which of the camps they fall into.

Ingredients for Cake Brownies

• Butter: Butter provides the recipe with richness, moisture and flavor. Creaming the butter and sugar together also contributes to the brownies’ relatively light texture.
• Sugar: In addition to its role as a sweetener, sugar helps provide the structure that gives the brownies their texture.
• Eggs: Eggs play a number of roles in baked goods, which is why egg substitutions are so difficult. Here, they add richness and protein to help form the brownies’ crumbs. Emulsifiers in the yolks help the other ingredients blend.
• Vanilla: Vanilla has a complex and satisfying flavor in its own right, but here it plays a supporting role and makes the chocolate taste better.
• Flour: The flour in the recipe helps bind the other ingredients together, and its starches and stretchy gluten-forming proteins help the brownies rise and set to their finished texture.
• Cocoa: The cocoa is here to provide a rich chocolate flavor, without the added fat that comes with using baking chocolate instead.
• Baking powder: Baking powder reacts to heat and moisture by producing gas, which raises the brownies and gives them a texture that fits neatly between fudgy brownies and more cake-like brownies.

Directions

Step 1: Mix the batter

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and eggs until they’re well combined. Add the eggs  one at a time, beating after each addition until they’re well incorporated into the butter mixture, and then add the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a second bowl, whisking until they’re well mixed. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, stirring them until they’re just moistened (don’t overwork the batter).

Step 2: Bake the brownies

Pour the batter into a greased 13×9-inch pan, spreading it evenly. Bake at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes or just until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (don’t over bake them or they’ll be dry). Remove the pan from your oven and rest it on a wire rack until the brownies are completely cool.

Cake Brownies Variations

• Go nutty: Walnuts are a common brownie add-in but there are more interesting ways to add some flavor and crunch. For a hazelnut version of this brownie, add chopped or sliced hazelnuts to the brownie batter, make the Nutella icing from this mocha hazelnut torte and garnish each brownie with a whole toasted hazelnut.
• Bring on the pecans and caramel: These cakey brownies are excellent as they are but also make a great base for your favorite toppings. One slam-dunk option  is to top them with a chocolate icing or ganache,  then sprinkle the top with pecans and a drizzle of caramel to make turtle brownies.
• Be a copycat: If you bake this recipe in two 88-inch pans, instead of the 13X9, you can cut each pan in half and use it to assemble a copycat version of Olive Garden’s much-loved “chocolate lasagna.” It’s just four slabs of brownie, layered with a cheesecake filling and chocolate ganache, but it’s impressively rich and makes a showy dessert for company.

How to Store Cake Brownies

Brownies need to be kept in an airtight container so they won’t dry out and that’s even more important for cake brownies than for the denser, fudgy kind. Use a foodsafe container with a tight-fitting lid or an old-school cookie tin. If you have too many brownies to make a single layer, put a sheet of wax paper or parchment between them so they don’t stick together.

How long will this cake brownie recipe keep?

These unadorned brownies have no extra ingredients to make them perishable, so they’ll stay fresh and soft for as long as five to seven days. You’ll find a degree of variation depending on the ambient temperature in your house, how airtight the container is and how often you’ve opened it to sneak a brownie.

Can I freeze these cake brownies?

Yes, most brownies freeze and thaw beautifully. You can freeze a whole pan or half-pan to serve later for a group or cut it into smaller portions or even single brownies and wrap them individually. Brownies that are well-wrapped and airtight remain reliably good for one month and up to three months. A vacuum sealer will give you the longest storage life, but it’s best to freeze your brownies first on a plate or sheet pan before sealing them. Otherwise, the pressure of the vacuum sealer may crush them, ruining their distinctive texture.

Cake Brownie Recipe Tips

Does it really matter if the eggs are at room temperature?

Yes, it does. You can certainly use eggs right from the fridge, and your brownies will taste fine, but you’ll be making life more difficult for yourself. Cold eggs will make the butter harden, which means it won’t blend as easily as it should. That increases the likelihood that you’ll overmix your brownies and toughen them. In a recipe like this one, where the charm lies in its unique texture, room-temperature eggs play a large role in helping you achieve that texture.

What’s a no-fuss way to make these pretty enough for guests?

These cake brownies are delicious just as they are but you can dress them up in seconds by dusting them with confectioner’s sugar. Use your smallest wire strainer, spoon the sugar into it gently and then shake it to sift the sugar over your brownies. For a prettier effect,  sift the sugar over a paper doily and lift it off to create a lacy pattern.

Why did my cake brownies come out dry?

There are three likely reasons for this to happen. One is that you were heavy-handed when you measured your flour, and used more than you think. You can fix that by using the scoop-and-level technique. You may also have overmixed the batter, which promotes gluten development and makes the brownies feel dry and chewy in your mouth. Finally, you may have overbaked the brownies. That’s not necessarily on you, your oven may have let you down. Ovens often run higher or lower than the temperature you’ve set, so following the baking instructions means you’ll overbake your brownies every time. To check your oven, pick up an inexpensive oven thermometer and use it to verify your oven’s accuracy.