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

Scale

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

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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:
1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Fold in the remaining chocolate: Add in the additional chocolate chips, and fold with a silicone spatula to evenly distribute throughout the batter.
5. 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:
1. Whisk the dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt. Set aside.
2. 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.
3. 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.