Extra Fudgy Vegan Brownie Cake with Brownie Stuffed Layers
This ridiculously fudgy brownie cake is for brownie lovers only!! It’s a decadently moist chocolate cake loaded with brownie bites in the cake batter and topped with a silky chocolate buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache to top. And it’s all shockingly dairy free, vegan and made without eggs!
Brownie lovers: This is a cake just for you
If you’re a cookie dough lover, we have this amazing cookie dough stuffed cake for you. But if you’re a brownie lover, like myself, then you must try this loaded brownie cake.
It only felt right to treat the brownie lovers equally to the cookie dough lovers.
Now this is not some ordinary chocolate cake with brownies on top. Nor is it brownie-inspired cake.
This ridiculously fudgy brownie cake is STUFFED with fudgy brownie bites in the chocolate cake batter (much like my cookie dough cake) and layered with a silky chocolate frosting and rich 2 ingredient chocolate ganache. It’s the best combination of brownies meets chocolate cake, and guess what?
It’s all unbelievably dairy free, eggless, and, you guessed it, vegan (like everything on this blog). Because we’re on a mission to show that yes, you can have everything you want vegan, and yeah, it’s even better 😉
Make this for your next birthday celebration (it was actually my 30th birthday cake!!) or holiday party, and people will be begging you for the recipe.
What you’ll need:
The ingredients are actually shockingly simple. You’ll really only need dairy free counterparts for where you would use dairy, and the egg substitution is my favorite for baking both cakes and brownies: yogurt (the dairy-free kind).
Here’s an overview of what you’ll need for all components:
- All purpose flour: For gluten free, I recommend using King Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour. I’ve tested it in all components of this recipe that require flour, and it’s perfect!
- Dutch process cocoa powder: This is crucial, as Dutch process will allow for a fudgier texture. All natural cocoa powder is used when you want more leavening in the baked good.
- Light brown sugar & sugar: Both are needed here for extra moisture in the cake from the molasses in the light brown sugar!
- Dairy free yogurt: Our vegan egg substitute for both the brownies and the cake! It’s absolutely phenomenal, yielding results that are identical to that of eggs. Just ask any non-vegan who’s tried these recipes, and you’d be shocked to hear the results.
- Dairy free milk: I specifically recommend soy milk or pea milk for the protein content, but both almond milk and oat milk can work too (I’ve tested it).
- Vegan butter: I recommend a high quality brand like Miyoko’s. Plant Crock is also great for nut-free!
- Baking powder & baking soda: This is *only* used for the chocolate cake portion- because the brownies are fudgy, we actually don’t use any in the brownie batter.
- Sea salt & vanilla: For flavor enhancers!
Most of these components can be made with just a bowl and a whisk (though making the brownies will use a bit of arm work to dissolve the sugar haha!). You can also use a hand mixer for the frosting!
Pro Tip: Weigh your ingredients!!
If you do anything, make sure that you buy a kitchen scale. You can get a super cheap yet accurate one for only $10 on Amazon (and it’s lasted me years before! I now have OXO, which I believe is about $50, but my $10 one lasted me for 10 years).
Weighing your ingredients will give you the most accurate bakes. You won’t have too much or too little flour, and your results are more guaranteed. Of course, you can use cup measurements (which I provide below), but be sure to spoon and level the flour rather than scooping.
Overview: How to make a vegan brownie cake:
For the full written instructions and ingredient measurements, see the bottom of this post in the recipe card. You can also hit the “jump to recipe” button at the top of this post! Here, we’ll go over a brief overview of the steps, along with providing visuals for a better understanding of the recipe.
This might seem like an overwhelming process (a brownie stuffed cake?!), but it’s actually quite simple in components. Just follow the steps!
- We’ll first bake the brownies: This is based off of my unbelievably fudgy crinkle top vegan brownies. You can, of course, make my small batch brown butter brownies. But for ease, I thought just a small batch of my regular brownies works perfectly!
- Then make the cake batter: Once the brownies are baked and cooled, we’ll move onto the cake portion. This is essentially like my vegan chocolate cake, but using Dutch-process cocoa powder to make it extra fudgy. Once the batter is made, we’ll assemble the cake for baking!
- Bake the brownie cake: Pour the batter into your prepared 8″ cake pans, and slice the brownies into 36 bite size brownie bites. You’ll put 6-8 brownie pieces into each pan, and save the remaining for topping later! Once baked, allow the cakes to cool before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Assemble: When you’re ready to assemble, you’ll make the chocolate frosting and the chocolate ganache. Then assemble the cake by smearing frosting between each layer, and topping with chocolate ganache and brownie bites to finish!
How to make this brownie cake ahead of time:
Because we’re essentially baking two regular bakes and combining them into one, I recommend making this cake in two days (though you most definitely can make it in a day, and I have as well).
You can make the brownie portion and bake the cake on Day 1, followed by assembling on Day 2. You can also, alternatively, just make the brownie portion on Day 1, and bake and assemble the cake on Day 2.
It’s up to you!
Just make sure that if you’re storing the baked cake layers, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap to keep their moisture locked in!
Want to save this recipe for later? Add it to your favorite recipe board on Pinterest!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and a rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ below. This helps others to find the recipes! As always, I absolutely love to see your beautiful creations on Instagram and Pinterest, so be sure to tag me there as well!
Print
Extra Fudgy Vegan Brownie Cake with Brownie Stuffed Layers
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 65
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 16 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This ridiculously fudgy brownie cake is for brownie lovers only!! It’s a decadently moist chocolate cake loaded with brownie bites in the cake batter and topped with a silky chocolate buttercream frosting and chocolate ganache to top. And it’s all shockingly dairy free, vegan and made without eggs!
Ingredients
Brownie bites:
- 1 batch vegan brownies*
Chocolate Cake:
- 1 1/4 cup (300 mL) vegan buttermilk, room temperature
- 3 cups (375 g) all purpose flour or gluten free 1:1 baking flour, sifted
- 1 cup (95 g) Dutch-process cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 3/4 cups (350 g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (110 g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (113 g) unsalted vegan butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1 cup (220 g) dairy free yogurt, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240 mL) hot water + 1 tsp dissolvable espresso powder (or 1 cup (240 mL) brewed coffee, decaf if desired)
- 1 cup (180 g) vegan chocolate chips
Toppings:
- 1 batch vegan chocolate buttercream
- 1 batch vegan chocolate ganache
Instructions
- Prep: We’ll first be making the brownie portion, followed by the cake, then assembling. If it’s easiest, I would divide this process into day 1 being the brownie and cake portion, then the second day being the assembly. Please read through the instructions before beginning. Preheat the oven to 350F, and line a 9×9″ square pan with parchment paper.
- Make the brownies first:
- Make the fudge sauce: Melt the vegan butter until hot (either microwave or stovetop), then pour the hot vegan butter over the 3 ounces of vegan chocolate in a heat-safe bowl. Let sit for 2 minutes to melt the chocolate, then stir until the chocolate is completely melted into the butter. Then add in the cocoa powder, and stir until dissolved. Set aside.
- Dissolve the sugar: In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to cream together the dairy free milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, dairy free yogurt, vanilla extract and sea salt. Mix on medium speed until the sugar is nearly dissolved. If you pinch the batter between your fingers, you should feel very small granules if at all.
- Finish the brownie batter: Pour in the chocolate fudge sauce, and mix with a hand mixer again until the chocolate mixture is combined. Then add in the flour, and mix on low speed JUST until the flour is integrated into the chocolate brownie batter.
- Fold in the remaining chocolate: Add in the additional chocolate chips, and fold with a silicone spatula to evenly distribute throughout the batter.
- Bake: Pour the brownie batter into the prepared loaf pan, and bake for 33-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out nearly clean. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes, then pop the brownies into the freezer to cool faster while you prepare for the cake portion.
- Prep for the cake portion: Keep the oven preheated to 350F, and line three 8″ cake pans with parchment paper and oil. Set aside. Make the vegan buttermilk according to instructions, and prepare the hot coffee.
- Make the chocolate cake:
- Whisk the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
- Mix the wet ingredients: In a large bowl and a whisk, whisk the vegan butter, sugar, and brown sugar until integrated. Then add in the dairy free yogurt and vanilla extract, and whisk again until combined.
- Finish the batter: To the mixture, add in about half of the flour mixture, along with half of the buttermilk. Whisk gently until the flour starts to combine with the wet. Add in the remaining flour mixture and buttermilk, and whisk again justbefore there are no more dry streaks. Slowly pour in the hot coffee, and whisk gently until the coffee has just mixed into the batter. Set the batter aside for slicing the brownies quickly. Then add in the chocolate chips, and fold into the batter to distribute evenly.
- Slice the brownies: Remove the brownies from the freezer and from their pan. Now, slice the brownies into 16 equal squares. Then divide each brownie again into quarters (you’ll have 64 brownie bites in total).
- Assemble the brownie cake batter: Pour the chocolate cake batter into the three cake pans evenly. Then add in about 6-8 brownie bites per cake pan randomly, and press them into the batter. You’ll have leftover brownie bites to decorate the cake after with.
- Bake the brownie cake: Bake the cake for 35-37 minutes, or until a toothpick comes clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and let cool for 30 minutes. Then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- When ready to assemble: Make the chocolate buttercream and ganache according to instructions.
- Assemble the cake: Place one brownie cake layer onto a plate, and spread about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of frosting on top. Place a second cake layer on top, and repeat, then place the third cake layer on top. Finish frosting the cake, then chill in the fridge for 30 minutes to set the frosting. You can smooth the frosting again after the refrigeration process. Then pour the chocolate ganache on top, and finish with brownie bites for decoration.
- Slice and serve! Slice the cake and serve! Enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container and in the fridge for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
Dutch process cocoa powder: I recommend Ghirardelli. All natural cocoa powder won’t work here, as you want the brownies to be fudgy. All natural cocoa powder will cause cakier rather than fudgier brownies.
This is Awesome will definitely try it.