This Gooey Candy Brownie Cake is an easy brownie baked as cake and filled with candy and topped with a poured chocolate icing. It's so chocolatey!
I think I need to start a new blog called Crazy for Brownies. I swear, as much as I love pie and crust, I almost love brownies more. Have I ever told you about the chocolate factory in the town I lived in? Somewhere close to where I lived there is a factory where they make chocolate chips and the like. Every once in awhile the air is permeated with a rich chocolate scent that smells like brownies baking. It's how I imagine the candy room with the chocolate river smelled in Willy Wonka.
That brownie smell is one of the things I miss most about home. I mean, the air that smells like chocolate? For someone like me? That's pretty much priceless. When I moved away and realized that not all air smells like molten lava, well, that was a sad day.
This brownie recipe epitomizes what I think of when I'm visiting my parents and smell that air: rich, gooey chocolatey brownie drenched in a gooey poured chocolate frosting. Only chocolate lovers need apply for this cake, y'all.
Now, as you know, I have two faithful brownie recipes that I use regularly: one with cocoa and one with melted chocolate. Then a few weeks ago I made the BEST BROWNIES EVER. However much I love those recipes I'm always game for trying a new one and this recipe is going into the favorites pile. It's rich, fudgy, and super chocolatey!
This brownie recipe melds my favorite two recipes together: it uses cocoa and melted chocolate, and while it doesn't have as many eggs as my other favorite recipe, there is corn syrup in the batter, which keeps them super moist and fudgy.
As basic brownies this recipe is terrific, but I decided to go one step further. I turned it into a cake by baking it in an 8″ round cake pan. (You can also use a 9″ round if you prefer.) Since Halloween just happened, I'm pretty sure you have bags of candy lying around that you're trying to get rid of. I filled this cake to the brim with 2 cups of chopped candy. You can use any candy you like, the sky is the limit. Clean out your pantry like I did and fill it up with your favorites! I used peanut butter cups, Snickers, Butterfingers, M&Ms, and even more!
Then, once the brownie cooled I added my favorite part: a poured chocolate frosting. It's a super easy frosting that starts with chocolate chips, butter, and vanilla and is mixed with boiled cream and more corn syrup. Once it cools it thickens slightly so you can pour it onto your cake and the corn syrup helps it semi-solidify as it cools completely.
I could not stop at once slice of this. Chocoholics – you're going to be in HEAVEN with this one!
This is the perfect brownie to make for a party or potluck, or just because you want to bake a little extra for someone. I usually would have kept this for myself but I gave half to my mom, partly to show her how much I love her (and partly because my pants can't take me eating a whole brownie).
What candy will YOU put in this cake?
Gooey Candy Brownie Cake
Yield: 10-12 servings
Total Time: 1 hour plus cooling
This Gooey Candy Brownie Cake is an easy brownie baked as cake and filled with candy and topped with a poured chocolate icing. It's so chocolatey!
Ingredients:
For the brownies:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light Karo Syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chopped candy (any mixture such as peanut butter cups, M&Ms, Butterfingers, Snickers, etc.)
For the frosting:
- 2/3 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons light Karo Syrup
- More chopped candy, for garnish
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 8" or 9" round baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Make the brownies: place butter and unsweetened chocolate in a large mixing bowl. Heat on high power in 30 second increments, stirring between each, until melted and smooth (1-2 minutes total). Stir in oil, sugar, and Karo Syrup. Stir in eggs and vanilla until smooth, then mix in baking powder and salt. Slowly stir in the flour until combined, then stir in the chopped candy.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs when poked 2" from the side of the pan. Cool completely before frosting.
- To make the frosting: place chocolate chips, butter, and vanilla in a large bowl. Set aside. Bring heavy whipping cream and Karo to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Once it's boiling, pour it over the chocolate chip mixture. Let the mixture sit for about 30-60 seconds, then whisk until smooth. Let sit at room temperature until it thickens slightly, about an hour.
- Remove brownie cake to a cake plate. Pour frosting over the top, then decorate with candy. The frosting will set after several hours (chilling helps). You may have some frosting left over.
- Store loosely covered for up to 3 days.
Notes:
Use any kind of chopped candy you like! This is the perfect recipe for leftover Halloween, Christmas, or Valentine candy.
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