Brownie Cake

This brownie cake is the ultimate chocolate dessert! The cake layers are a perfect combination of thick, fudgy brownie texture yet light and fluffy like a chocolate cake. The whipped chocolate ganache frosting is rich with chocolate, not overly sweet, and seriously irresistible!

5 from 5 votes

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Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 22

Total Time: 52

Servings: servings

Equipment

3 (8-inch) round cake pans

Ingredients

1 and ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 and ½ cups unsalted butter*, 3 sticks
12 ounces (1 and ½ cups) semi-sweet or dark chocolate, bar-style chopped or chocolate chips
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
½ cup coffee (regular or decaf) or milk
½ cup sour cream, room temperature
4 ounces (½ cup) semi-sweet, dark, or milk chocolate, bar-style chopped or chocolate chips, for folding into the cake batter

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

8 ounces heavy whipping cream
½ cup brown sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, bar-style, not chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Lightly spray three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.
Add the butter and 12 ounces chocolate to a large bowl. Melt over a double boiler or in the microwave in 15-second intervals until smooth. Allow to cool slightly, then whisk in the brown sugar and vanilla extract until well combined.
Add the room temperature eggs one at a time and mix until just combined after each.
Gently mix in about half of the dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in the coffee (or milk) and sour cream, then add the rest of the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined and the batter is smooth. Fold the remaining 4 ounces chopped chocolate or chocolate chips into the batter.
Bake: Divide the batter evenly between the three prepared cake pans. Bake for 20-22 minutes. A toothpick should come out mostly clean but with a few cakey crumbs attached.
Allow the cake layers to cool completely in the pan, then transfer to the fridge or freezer to chill before frosting the cake. To make frosting the cake easier, wrap the individual cake layers in plastic wrap and freeze overnight (and up to 2 months) before frosting.

Whipped Chocolate Ganache:

Chop the semi-sweet chocolate into small, even-size pieces and place in a large bowl.
Add the cream, brown sugar, and salt to a saucepan. Place over medium heat and bring to a gentle simmer. Do not let the cream boil.
Pour the warm cream over the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
Use an electric mixer to whip the ganache until thick and fluffy. About 1-2 minutes. Stop mixing and check the consistency every 30 seconds. Be careful not to over whip the ganache or it will split and turn grainy.
To frost the cake, place one cake layer on a cake stand or cake board. Cover the top with an even layer of the whipped chocolate ganache. Place a second cake layer on top and cover with more whipped chocolate ganache. Place a third cake layer on top and cover the top and sides of the cake with a thin layer of whipped chocolate ganache. To decorate, drizzle some melted chocolate ganache on the top of the cake and pipe more frosting around the edges.

Notes

Store the cake at room temperature for 2 days, or in the fridge for 1 week. You can also freeze the decorated cake or undecorated cake layers, wrapped in plastic, for 2 months.

*Butter: If your butter is salted leave out the added salt in the recipe.

Whipped chocolate ganache: Only use bar-style chocolate for the whipped chocolate ganache. Chocolate chips don't melt as smoothly and the ganache is more likely to split when whipped. I prefer to use semi-sweet chocolate since it has a better consistency, however milk chocolate can also be used. Just leave out the added sugar since it's already sweet enough on its own.

Whipped chocolate ganache can split and turn grainy if you over whip it or if the cream is too hot when added to the chocolate. If your ganache splits, reheat it gently over a double boiler or in the microwave until melted and smooth. Let chill for 20 minutes before whipping again.

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