Homemade Birthday Chocolate Brownie Cake Recipe, an easy super moist from scratch layered chocolate brownie cake. Decorated with an easy whipped ganache frosting and Oreos. The best for birthdays and special occasions!
This Homemade Birthday Chocolate Brownie Cake recipe is truly INSANE! We’re talking insanely good and delicious! The best! It is one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had! Rich, fudgey, and full of chocolate! It’s like what would happen if a rich chocolate cake and a fudge brownie had a baby. If you’re not a chocolate lover (do they really exist?) you might want to look away.
Oh you know I like my brownies, like my Best Turtle Brownies, Chunky Peanut Butter Stuffed Brownies, and Mint Brownies. And even my gluten free Almond Flour Brownies. So it shouldn’t be too shocking that I combined some of my favorite brownies and cake into one!
I made this brownie cake for my daughter’s birthday last week. She wanted lots of chocolate so she was quite the happy child! This is an easy recipe but maybe not one of my more “snappy” recipes.
This Homemade Birthday Chocolate Brownie Cake is definitely a great recipe and cake for birthdays, holidays (Christmas or Valentine’s Day would be great!), or any special occasion. If it was up to me though, I’d say this brownie cake is perfect any day!
I really did not think this cake would turn out. I mean I really did not think it would. I’m not generally one for making homemade from scratch cakes but after this, I may be making a few more in the near future.
I’ve had some cake disasters. BIG DISASTERS. But if you’re wondering how to make a brownie cake, I think this recipe will do it! I casually looked at a bunch of chocolate cake recipes and chocolate frosting recipes then just kind of made this one up as I was going along combining my favorite parts of a lot of different chocolate cake and brownie recipes.
I had every intention of going to the store that night and buying a cake so I didn’t even bother taking any photos. Why did I even bother trying to make a homemade chocolate cake you are probably asking, yes?
Well, when my daughter looked up at me and told me she wanted a HOMEMADE cake how could I possibly say no??? Trust me, I was cursing in my mind.
If a layered cake isn’t quite your thing, this Texas Sheet Cake is a tasty chocolate cake as well.
Like I said, I was so confident this brownie cake was NOT going to work out that I didn’t even bother taking any photos while doing all the prep work. But trust me, it wasn’t too difficult to make.
How to Make a Brownie Cake:
To start this brownie cake, be sure to preheat your oven first. Next, grease two 9-inch round cake pans, then line the pans with parchment paper, and grease those. Depending on your pans you can use a nonstick spray and/or butter and flour (with a little cocoa powder) to prevent sticking.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan then slowly add the water, cocoa powder, and coffee and stir or whisk until smooth. You won’t really taste the coffee, so don’t worry if you’re not a coffee person. It just intensifies the chocolate a little bit. If you don’t want to add the coffee, don’t worry, you can leave it out.
I used unsweetened dark cocoa powder, but you can use regular unsweetened cocoa powder.
Take the cocoa and butter mixture off the heat, and set it aside to cool.
Meanwhile, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Then mix in the Greek yogurt, buttermilk, eggs, and vanilla. When your chocolate mixture is fully cooled, add it to the bowl and mix until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared 9-inch round baking pans. Spread with an offset spatula or back of a spoon so that the batter is in an even layer in both pans.
Bake the cakes for about 30-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean.
Remove the cakes from the oven, cool slightly then remove the cakes from the pans and place on wire cooling racks to cool completely. When the cake layers are completely cool, use a long serrated knife to cut each layer in half horizontally.
If you’ve never cut a cake layer in half, place a long serrated knife about halfway down the cake layer and slowly cut into the cake just a little at a time as you turn the plate with the cake layer on top.
Be sure to keep your knife in the middle of the layer. Don’t move the knife, just turn the cake. You don’t HAVE to cut the layer in half. If you decide to make this a two layer cake, you may just want to cut back on the whipped chocolate ganache frosting.
How to Make Whipped Chocolate Ganache Frosting:
The Whipped Chocolate Ganache frosting only has a few ingredients and is also one of the best chocolate frostings I’ve ever had! It’s really a whipped ganache and mostly just cream and chocolate.
Place the chocolate in a large bowl. Meanwhile, heat the cream in the microwave or small saucepan. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
Stir in the vanilla and salt until the chocolate is smooth. Set aside to cool or place the bowl over an ice bath and stir until ganache is cold.
With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the ganache until thick and frosting consistency.
But be WARNED, do not over whip the frosting or it will turn into chocolate BUTTER! I had a couple of bags of dark chocolate chips so I just used those but of course the better chocolate you use, the better this frosting will be. Everyone uses a different ratio of chocolate to cream, but this one seemed to work well for me.
The frosting will harden when you put it in the fridge so don’t worry if it seems a little runny. Just make sure it is just thick enough to hold and spread over the cake.
This makes A LOT of whipped ganache chocolate frosting. Plenty to use to decorate if you so choose. I put a little frosting in a pastry bag and just did a very quick design around the edge. Totally not necessary though. If you don’t like a lot of frosting, just cut the recipe in half.
My daughter wanted Oreos on her cake so to appease her I put some Oreo cookie crumbs on the outside of the cake. I had to lean the cake over slightly to get them on there. The things I’m willing to do in the name of CHOCOLATE!
I would not suggest serving this cake if it’s HOT outside, but otherwise, this cake seemed to hold up really well in the fridge. I liked it right out of the fridge cold but others seemed to like it more room temperature so your choice!
Let me know if you make this cake and what you think!
Check out this quick video how to make this birthday brownie cake…
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Homemade Birthday Chocolate Brownie Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped Ganache Frosting:
- 24 ounces dark chocolate chopped or 2 (12oz) bags dark chocolate chips
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Garnish: (optional)
- Oreo cookie crumbs (or mini chocolate chips, shaved chocolate, chopped nuts)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two 9-inch round cake pans (or spray pans with nonstick baking spray), then line bottoms of pans with parchment paper. Grease (or spray with nonstick baking spray) bottom of pan (dust with flour and cocoa powder if desired).
- Place butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stir occasionally until melted. Slowly add water, cocoa powder, and coffee into pan and stir constantly until smooth and not grainy, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
- Mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in large mixing bowl until well combined. Mix in yogurt, buttermilk, eggs, and 1 teaspoon vanilla until just combined. Mix in cooled chocolate mixture until just combined. Pour batter evenly between two pans.
- Bake cakes for about 30-40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Cool slightly then remove from pans. Cool completely, then cut each cake layer in half horizontally with long serrated knife.
- Place chocolate in large mixing bowl. Heat cream in large microwave-safe container in 30 second intervals until hot, about 1-2 minutes. Pour hot cream over chocolate and let stand about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and 1/8 teaspoon salt, and stir mixture until smooth. Place bowl over ice bath and stir ganache until cold. With an electric mixer on medium speed beat the ganache until just thick enough to spread over cake being careful to not overwhip.
- Place one layer of cake on serving platter, top with frosting and spread to form thin layer. Repeat with cake layers and frosting. Frost and decorate top and sides of cake as desired. Garnish sides of cake with Oreo cookie crumbs or as desired. Store cake in refrigerator until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
Lisa says
I just made this today for my son’s 2nd birthday and it turned out great! It was very moist and delicious and I had a lot of compliments on it. I was a little worried of some people not liking the coffee flavor, but it doesn’t stand out much after it’s baked. It really does seem to just deepen the chocolate flavor. My father in law who is a big chocolate lover was very impressed. I made dark chocolate buttercream frosting with it and it turned out great! Thanks for the recipe!
Lisa Huff says
Thank you so much Lisa! So happy to hear you and your family enjoyed it! And big happy birthday to your baby!!!
Vanessa says
Looks yummy! Can I use this recipe for a 5tier cake?
Lisa Huff says
HI! You could probably do 5 thin layers, but might be a little heavy for 5 tiers.
Sarah says
WHOA. My sister would kill for this
Steph says
I know this is late so I hope that you see this comment. I have just one question. As much as I love coffee and I love chocolate, I do not like them together (go figure!). Is the addition of the instant coffee necessary? Other than that, this looks like a recipe that I might actually try, and I am NOT a cook! It looks like a lot of fun and I know it would be loved by everybody except my space alien daughter who does not like chocolate. I guess I have to make a non-chocolate cake just for her now too, lol.
Lisa Huff says
HI Steph! Yes, you can definitely leave out the coffee. Although I will say this is not really a “mocha” cake so the coffee flavor is not strong at all. It just deepens the chocolate flavor but if you are at all unsure about the coffee it will turn out fine without.
Steph says
Thanks! I will go get the ingredients today as we have Christmas dinner for 30 in two days. It looks wonderful!
Candace says
i’m making this for our thanksgiving spread!! so excited to try it :)
Heather Joy says
This would be a perfect cake for my son’s birthday next week! I just featured this on my blog today, stop on by if you can http://butterflyangelcreations.blogspot.com/2012/10/TreatsWithNoTricks.html
Lucie says
Here I am on a diet and I come across these gorgeous blogs for chocolate. Love your insane cake name hehehee
Ashley - Baker by Nature says
I think I just became your #1 fan – this cake looks like heaven!!!
Beth @ Hungry Happenings says
Ooooh, looks so chocolatey. Love it!
Kelley {mountain mama cooks} says
Insane is right! How did you resist long enough to take pictures? I would have dove in right away! Chocolate heaven it is!! xo
carrian says
ummmm, I’ve been craving and resisting chocolate for the past few days, and this just ruined me. Chocolate it is! ;)
Minnie(@thelady8home) says
The very sight of it is making us all Insanely Hungry hahaha. Agree, chocolates can never be too much. Fabulous cake!!!
bianca @ sweet dreaming says
yummm you can never have too much chocolate! :)
Tina {My Life as a Mrs} says
Ummm this is totally named appropriately – looks IN.SANE.
Pam N says
This does look insanely delicious!!! Can NOT wait to try it!! Yummmo!