What better way to say Happy Birthday to a chocolate lover than with this easy and seriously rich brownie birthday cake? It's a giant bronut (chocolate donut cake), full of milk chocolate chips and topped with tasty chocolate fudge icing and fudge chunks.
In all truth, this birthday brownie cake recipe that I made for my mother-in-law is an indulgent treat for ANY special occasion - or any last minute cake order for a loved one!
I'd go as far as to say it's one of the best chocolate cakes I have ever made! This recipe came from an obsession I developed with a fudgy bronut texture (brownie donut) and my newly purchased bundt pan.
Words just cannot describe how incredible this celebration cake tastes. (Thankfully the birthday girl was willing to share!). It tasted delicious cold, and we're convinced it will team well with ice cream and hot caramel sauce!
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✔️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Here are many good reasons why this is one of the best brownie gifts you can give to someone!
- Zero palm oil
- Made with love
- A crowd-pleaser that serves up to 12 people
- The best birthday brownie recipe for beginners
- No need to separate egg yolk from egg whites
- Taste better than ready-made cake mix brownies
- Made with luxurious ingredients, unlike store-bought
- A bargain birthday cake that costs £8.21/$10.14 or 68p/0.84¢ per serving
🛒 Ingredient Notes
Please see the printable recipe card with exact ingredient quantities, daily values and preparation instructions at the bottom of this post.
Dark chocolate - this is one of the main ingredients in this chocolate fudge cake recipe. We used bittersweet 85% cocoa. If you can't find it in your local grocery store, use a minimum of 70% for the best chocolate cake mix recipe
Plain flour (All Purpose Flour) - to give the chocolate brownie cake structure, but also not create too much of a rise
Caster sugar - this is superfine white sugar (AKA baker's sugar), or you could use soft light brown sugar instead
Eggs - I bake with a large egg variety or use 4 medium, which is frothed with an electric mixer to help the cake rise a little without the need for baking powder
Butter - if not weighing in grams, use melted butter in a measuring cup for accuracy. This is used for flavour and helps create a cake like texture. Or replace with vegetable oil for an extra fudgy brownie cake!
Unsweetened cocoa powder - which helps make rich chocolate cake recipes, or try cacao powder
Vanilla extract - which turns every chocolate brownie into a great recipe with an extra depth of flavour
Sea salt - to enhance the chocolate flavor overall
Milk chocolate chips - for more delightful chocolate chunks to bite into
To Decorate
- Betty Crocker Indulgent Chocolate Fudge Icing
- 5mm mini vanilla fudge pieces
Alternatives
- Chocolate buttercream
- Rainbow sprinkles, like sugar stars, etc
- Chocolate glaze ganache made with heavy cream
- Mini easter eggs
📋 Instructions
First, preheat your oven to 160 c fan, 180c conventional, 350F, gas mark 4.
Next, in a large microwave-safe bowl, melt the broken dark chocolate, salt, and butter together in 30 second intervals.
Stir after every 30 seconds. You should only need to do it 3 times until smooth and set aside to cool.
To prepare metal cake pans, grease well with butter and lightly flour to prevent sticking.
If using a silicone giant donut mould, a non-stick spray should suffice.
Let's start with the brownie mix! In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and caster sugar until it is a thick frothy creamy texture.
This should take about 2 minutes.
Now carefully and slowly fold in the slightly cooled chocolate sauce into the wet ingredients.
You don't want to knock any air out, so be patient!
In a separate small bowl, flour and cocoa powder together.
Then slowly fold into the chocolatey egg mixture until you have a uniform brownie fudge cake batter.
Finally, fold in the milk chocolate chips or buttons.
Note: alternatively, you can stir in other dry ingredients such as white chocolate chips, fudge, walnuts, dried fruit, or sugar sprinkles for a Funfetti touch.
Pour the brownie batter into the prepared cake tin and level with a spoon.
Then bake in the middle of the oven for 50-60 minutes.
If an inserted toothpick or cake tester comes out clean, it's done!
Leave the chocolate fudge brownie cake to cool for 10 minutes.
Then turn out onto a wire cooling rack and leave to cool completely to room temperature.
Now spread chocolate icing sugar on top of the cake and decorate with your favourite sprinkles or fudge pieces.
Expert tip: if you don't plan to add any topping on your cake like brownies, then I recommend dusting your cake pan with cocoa powder to prevent any white from the flour from showing once baked
👩🍳 Substitutions
Depending on your dietary needs, here are a few simple swaps you can do while making my recipe for a chocolate fudge cake:
- Dark chocolate - swap the combined weight of chocolate and butter for hazelnut chocolate spread or sauce and omit the butter.
- Flour - for low carb fudgy brownies, try swapping all purpose flour for 1 cup of almond flour
- Sugar - swap for sugar-free sweetener caster sugar
- Eggs - try replacing with flax eggs by mixing 1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal with 2.5 tablespoons of water and letting it rest for 5 minutes before stirring into the cake mix
- Unsalted butter - use canola oil, rapeseed oil or plant-based butter for a vegan brownie chocolate cake (and see above)
⚖️ Variations
Here are a few brownie ideas for birthdays if you don't have a fluted cake tin or you want to treat someone special at an additional cost:
- Birthday brownies - use an 8x8" or 20x20cm square cake tin with parchment paper for brownie cakes instead and spread evenly with an offset spatula. Once baked, add a personalised happy birthday brownie cake topper
- Funfetti cookie cake version - divide the cake batter into 2 brownie layers by filling 2 silicone doughnut baking pan mold halves. Then sandwich with edible funfetti cookie dough in the middle or cream cheese buttercream frosting
- Deluxe - instead of milk chocolate chips, make it Jamie Oliver style and mix in dried sour cherries and chopped nuts
- Birthday brownie sheet bake - double the mixture for a tray bake and bake in a Wilton 13in x 9in rectangle cake tin. Or make it twice for a brownie layer cake and add chocolate buttercream in the middle
- Kid-friendly - bittersweet chocolate might be too chocolatey for kids, so why not swap it (and the butter) for 357g (1 & ¼ cups) of Nutella? Then turn them into rainbow sprinkle brownies
For easy birthday cake brownies, you might like my easy Nutella fruit and nut chocolate brownies and personalize the top.
🔪 Equipment
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- 22cm or 8.6" or 9" fluted ring bundt pan
- Large bowl
- Electric whisk
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Weighing scales
- Spatula
- Cooling rack
Optional: if you're feeling more adventurous, you can use a pastry bag (piping bag) if you want a more decadent buttercream topping
❄️ Storage
Storing - we recommend storing this bronut cake brownie recipe in an airtight container for up to 5 days. But if the weather is very hot, it is best to store them in your fridge. Oh, and in a safe place as it is THAT GOOD!!
Freezing - cool to room temperature and wrap ii in baking paper, two layers of clingfilm (plastic wrap), and finally some foil before freezing for up to 3 months.
Defrosting- Defrost in the fridge a few hours before you want to eat it.
Heating - if you want to eat warm brownies, then heat up each slice for 10-20 seconds in the microwave.
💡Pro Tips
- For best results, pour batter into a greased pan with only a little bit of flour to prevent white tinges - or, dust with cocoa powder after using nonstick spray
- If you don't have a microwave to melt the chocolate and butter together, place them in a medium bowl, resting on a simmering small saucepan of hot water over medium heat, and constantly stir until melted
- For an extra gooey chocolate fudge cake, try adding an extra egg to the mix, or simply microwave a slice of the finished product for 10-20 seconds before serving!
- If you've followed my exact time in the oven and it's started to brown too much and a toothpick test doesn't come out clean, then cover with tin foil and continue to bake for another 10 minutes and repeat
- For the best brownies, use chocolate that has a minimum of 70% cocoa
- If you want layers of brownies, divide the mixture into 2 silicone donut molds, or slice in half and add whipped cream to the bottom layer, then a top birthday cake layer with decorations
- To save from buying a bundt pan, you can bake in a round springform cake pan, then remove a hole in the centre with a glass.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Cream - serve warm with cold ice cream for a brownie sundae, whipped heavy cream, or a dollop of clotted cream, which we think is proper comfort food.
Sauce - drizzle some hot fudge or caramel sauce on top for the ultimate chocolate brownie dessert, which is simple for serving this birthday cake recipe at a party.
Custard - some people love the combination of a hot chocolate brownie and hot or cold custard
Fruit - if you didn't mix fruit in the brownie mix, then a spoonful of cherry pie filling with chocolate cake is divine. Or try a mix of apricots, cranberries, and raisins.
Nuts - sprinkle with some toasted or caramelized nuts, such as pecans, walnuts, etc.
Milkshake - stir in some crumbled brownies in some milk and ice cream to make a tasty brownie milkshake and enjoy with a straw!
💲Brownies Price Breakdown
| Item (most items are from Aldi or Lidl) | Price £ | Price $ |
| Dark chocolate | £2.70 | $3.34 |
| Milk chocolate chips | 0.69p | 0.85¢ |
| Cocoa powder | 0.39p | 0.48¢ |
| Eggs | 0.62p | 0.77¢ |
| Butter | 1.27 | $1.57 |
| Flour | 0.04p | 0.04¢ |
| Vanilla essence | 0.20p | 0.25¢ |
| Sea salt | 0.01p | 0.01¢ |
| Fudge pieces | £1.05 | $1.30 |
| Chocolate fudge icing sugar | £1.25 | $1.55 |
| Cost per slice between 12 servings | 0.685p | 0.85¢ |
❓ FAQ
As these brownies keep for up to 5 days at room temperature, yes, you can post them in the mail, but we recommend using the quickest service you can, such as 1st class within the same country.
I also wrap them well in baking paper, cling film and foil, then box and box again, so it gives my brownie delivery every chance of being successful.
➕ Related Recipes
Looking for recipes like this easy chocolate brownie cake? Why not try these?
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Fudge Brownie Birthday Cake Recipe {Bronut}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 7 oz Dark chocolate Broken into small pieces (200g)
- ¾ cup Butter Melted before measuring in cup (not needed if weighing - 160g)
- 1 cup Caster sugar (210g)
- 3 Large Eggs (Or 4 medium eggs)
- ¾ cup Plain flour (110g)
- ¾ cup Milk chocolate chips (100g)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp Sea salt
- ¼ cup Cocoa powder (30g)
Donut Topping
Instructions
- First, preheat your oven to 160 c fan, 180c conventional, 350F, gas mark 4.
- In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the broken dark chocolate, salt and butter together in 30 second intervals, stirring in between and repeat until smooth. This should take about 1 min 30 seconds.Now set aside to cool while you work on the rest of the recipe.
- Prepare a metal bundt cake pan by greasing well with butter and lightly dust it with flour or cocoa powder.Or non-stick spray for silicone moulds.
- Now in a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and caster sugar until it is a thick frothy creamy texture, which should take about 2 minutes.
- Carefully and slowly fold in the slightly cooled chocolate sauce into the wet ingredients until it is all one colour.
- Mix the flour and cocoa powder together in a separate bowl, then carefully fold in to the chocolate mixture.
- Now fold in the milk chocolate chips.
- Spoon the brownie cake batter into the prepared cake tin and level with the back of a spoon.
- Bake in the oven for 50 minutes and test with a cake tester to see if it comes out clean. If not, give it another 10 minutes and repeat.
- Let the brownie cake cool fr 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to fully cool to room tempature.
- Then decorate with ready made chocolate fudge icing sugar and fudge pieces, or however you wish.
Disclaimer
*This is an unofficial page and has no affiliation or endorsement from Slimming World. Slimming World's website can be found at https://www.slimmingworld.co.uk/. Any syn values are personal estimates and not verified by Slimming World.
Video
Notes
-
For best results, pour batter into a greased pan with only a little bit of flour to prevent white tinges - or, dust with cocoa powder after using nonstick spray
-
If you don't have a microwave to melt the chocolate and butter together, place them in a medium bowl, resting on a simmering small saucepan of hot water over medium heat, and constantly stir until melted
-
For an extra gooey chocolate fudge cake, try adding an extra egg to the mix, or simply microwave a slice of the finished product for 10-20 seconds before serving!
-
If you've followed my exact time in the oven and it's started to brown too much and a toothpick test doesn't come out clean, then cover with tin foil and continue to bake for another 10 minutes and repeat
-
For the best brownies, use chocolate that has a minimum of 70% cocoa
-
If you want layers of brownies, divide the mixture into 2 silicone donut molds, or slice in half and add whipped cream to the bottom layer, then a top birthday cake layer with decorations
-
To save from buying a bundt pan, you can bake in a round springform cake pan, then remove a hole in the centre with a glass.
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