Chocolate Brownie Cake is one of the easiest chocolate cakes I have ever made, but also one of the most delectable! I bake it for every occasion, including holidays. Be sure to check out more of my Cake Recipes, too!
Chocolate Brownie Cake
Since when does a cake have to be completely homemade for it to be something to brag about? Yes, this cake is made with both a boxed brownie mix and a boxed cake mix, but don’t let that fool you into thinking this cake is anything but decadent. It is one of my most popular cakes for a reason.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cake: Look for a box of chocolate cake mix. However, do not follow the box instructions; you will just use the mix.
Brownie Mix: As with the cake mix, you will only use the dry brownie mix in this recipe.
Ganache: This recipe makes plenty of ganache, so you may have a little left over. But, don’t let it go to waste; drizzle some over a bowl of vanilla ice cream for a sweet treat. I love the semi-sweet chocolate ganache but if you prefer milk chocolate, feel free to substitute.
How to Transport Cake
This is a great cake to make and bring along to share. Here are some tips to consider when transporting:
- Chill your cake before transport. I will place mine in the refrigerator overnight or in the freezer for a few hours before it goes in the car. A firm cake slides less and can handle more bumps and turns than a freshly baked cake does.
- Use a cake carrier. Just plan ahead if this is your chosen method of transport, as there is a certain height the cake needs to be to fit in the box. I have run into an issue with just a 2-layer cake that has piped dollops on top getting squished in a cake carrier. You can find extra tall cake carriers online if you know you love piping and decorating!
- Try a box for your cake, especially for long trips. My tips for that are to make sure the box is big enough, the box is lined with a shelf liner, and don’t forget about under the box! A great trick for that is a yoga mat right under the box.
- My favorite trick is to set the cake inside a springform pan. This works best for cakes that are on plates or platters. I get my 12-inch round springform pan, set the cake inside, and then set the springform pan on a shelf liner on a flat surface in my vehicle. (Usually, the back or the floor since seats are too curved). When you arrive at the event you simply carry in the springform pan then remove the outer edge! This has worked brilliantly more times than I can count.
Quick note: Cakes travel best in a cool environment, so bundle up extra if it’s a long car ride. If your interior temperature is too warm, the frosting could melt and slide down the cake. You can also place ice packs around the base of a box if you chose the box method.
How to Store Chocolate Brownie Cake
Cakes that are topped with ganache can be stored in a few different ways. It will last at room temperature for up to two days. Or, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. And finally, if you want to save the cake for an extended time, it can be frozen for up to a month.
More Chocolate Cakes
Chocolate Brownie Cake
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 box (15.25 ounces) chocolate cake mix
- 1 box (18.3 ounces) fudge brownie mix
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups water, room temperature
- 1 cup (218 g) vegetable oil
Ganache
- 1 cup (238 g) heavy whipping cream
- 1 bag (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 10-inch Bundt Pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To a large bowl, add cake mix, brownie mix, eggs, water, and oil. Whisk for 2 minutes, or until lumps are mostly gone.
- Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out with a few crumbs, but no wet batter.
- When done baking, remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for up to 10 minutes. Then, carefully turn the cake out onto a cooling rack and cool for about 30 more minutes.
Ganache
- To a microwave-safe bowl, add whipping cream. Heat for 45 seconds to a minute, or until the cream is simmering.
- Carefully pour the chocolate chips into the boiling cream.
- Let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk the chocolate and cream until shiny and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Pour over cooled cake and serve.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Was a little dry. I didn’t even bake it as long as it stated.
It does make a lot, so I made small cakes with the rest of the batter.
I put a individual chocolate
Pudding cup in mine.
I made this for my husband’s Birthday. It was dangerously delicious! He gave some to a friend of his that has the same Birthday and he gave it a big thumbs up as well! Definitely serve it with some vanilla ice cream!! Thanks for the recipe!!
For a Christmas-y touch, I have sprinkled chopped candy cane all over the top of the finished cake. I also use half cooled coffee half water for the liquid.
I made the cake exactly to the instructions. All went well until I made the ganache. It was very runny and ran over and off the cake . Any suggestions?
Sounds like it did exactly what it was supposed to do. 🙂
I have put mine in the refrigerator to thicken up.
Can this be made in a 9×13 pan?
Yes I did and just watched the time and checked for doneness.
My Brownie mix was the fudge kind so there was this pkt of fudge. I didn’t have heavy cream but had bottle of whipping cream so I mixed the two.
Because of the whipping cream had to put it in the fridge, next time I’m just using the fudge mix
No, it will look fine then deflate in the middle of cake.
looks good but would rather have mix from scratch not box. so do you have a recipe for this making from scratch just woondering
Sure – there are links to from-scratch recipes in the blog post above.
Can this be made in a 9 x 13 pan?
Hi Amanda, let the ganache cool a little bit before you pour it over the chocolate brownie cake.
I made this cake for my sons 34 birthday. I took frozen peanut butter cups and put them in the blender and sprinkled on top . Paired it with vanilla ice cream and everyone loved it .
I plan to make this a 9-inch layer birthday cake. Will three layers work with this volume of cake batter?
I’ve never made this into a 9-inch 3 layer cake, but my guess is that it will be fine.
I have made this cake in so many ways. So easy to make and everyone loves it. Homemade yes it was in my oven. LOL Thanks ,Deborah