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Cake Mix Brownies

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These cake mix brownies are moist, tender, and so chocolatey. You only need a few ingredients to make them, and they take just half an hour. 

Close up of three brownie squares stacked on top of each other on a plate

 
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I’ve never met someone who doesn’t love brownies. What’s not to love? These cake mix brownies have everything that I want in a brownie: they’re soft, moist, super decadent, and bursting with chocolate flavor. 

Using a cake mix to make your brownies is like a perfect shortcut. Cake mix is so delicious, and it makes it that much simpler and easier to make brownies. This is a fool-proof recipe that everyone will love. You’ve got to try it! 

A plate with a brownie square, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top, with chocolate sauce dripping off it, with brownies in the background

Why You’ll Love These Irresistible Cake Mix Brownies 

There are a lot of reasons that I love making brownies with a cake mix. Here are a few of them.

  • So fast. This entire recipe only takes 30 minutes to make. You don’t have to deal with measuring out and mixing flour, salt, sugar, cocoa powder, and other dry ingredients, so there’s barely any work required to make luscious brownies. 
  • Ingredients you already have. Cake mix brownies only have five ingredients in them, and they’re all super common. You most likely have everything you need to make this dessert in your fridge or pantry right now. So whenever you’re craving these moist brownies, you can quickly and easily make them.
  • Perfect for any occasion. These brownies are rich and decadent enough that you can serve them as a fancy dessert after a nice dinner. But they’re easy enough to make that you can whip them up anytime you want a chocolatey snack or a weeknight sweet treat. It’s also easy to make a large batch of them, so they’re perfect for parties! 
Overhead view of the ingredients for cake mix brownies: a box of cake mix, a stick of butter, a bowl with two eggs, a bowl of vanilla extract, and a measuring cup of chocolate chips

Ingredients Needed 

Here are the ingredients that you’ll need if you want to make these decadent cake mix brownies. Make sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the page for the exact amounts of each ingredient. 

  • Chocolate cake mix
  • Butter – Make sure to use unsalted butter.
  • Large eggs
  • Vanilla extract – Always use 100% pure extract.
  • Semi-sweet chocolate chips

How to Make Cake Mix Brownies 

Here’s how to make these easy, 30-minute brownies.

  • Prep. Preheat your oven to 350F, then grease an 8-inch baking dish or line it with parchment paper.
  • Make the brownie mix. Add the cake mix, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract to a bowl, and mix until well combined.
  • Add the chocolate chips. Pour in the chocolate chips and stir until they’re well distributed. 
A mixing bowl with brownie batter topped with chocolate chips
  • Pour in the baking dish. Add the brownie batter to the prepared baking dish, and make sure it’s spread evenly across the dish.
Overhead view of a square baking dish lined with parchment paper and filled with brownie batter
  • Bake. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake until the top is dry, the edges look done, and a cake tester comes out mostly clean. This should take 22-25 minutes.
Overhead view of a square baking dish filled with brownies
  • Cool. Remove the brownies from the oven and let them cool before slicing. 

Tips and Variations

Here are some tricks to help you make the best possible cake mix brownies and a few variations you can try, too. 

  • Use room-temperature eggs. Anytime you’re baking, it’s best to use eggs that are at room temperature. Cold eggs don’t mix as well with the other ingredients, so the brownies won’t be as smooth and soft if you use eggs straight from the fridge. Take the eggs out 30 minutes before making this recipe and the brownies will have a perfect texture.
  • Don’t over-bake. The brownies will continue to cook after you remove them from the oven, so you want to take them out when they’re not quite finished baking. To check the doneness, insert a cake tester or a toothpick into the middle of the brownies. It should come out with some crumbs on it, but no raw batter. If it comes out fully clean, the brownies are over-baked. 
  • Let them cool completely. It’s so tempting to eat these cake mix brownies as soon as they come out of the oven because they smell amazing. But give them time to cool completely before you cut into them. This will allow the brownies to firm up, and the texture will be much better. 
  • Add nuts. A lot of people love to put nuts in their brownies, and that works great in this recipe. Just add some walnuts or pecans when you add the chocolate chips and you’re good to go. Or you can add peanut butter chips along with the chocolate chips! 
  • Use dried fruit. Fruit isn’t as common in brownies as nuts are, but a lot of people love dried fruit in their brownies. You can add the dried fruit of your choice at the same time that you add the chocolate chips. I recommend dried cherries! 
A spoon drizzling fudge sauce on top of ice cream on a square of brownie on a plate

What to Serve With Them 

These easy brownies from cake mix are fantastic if eaten all by themselves. But my favorite way to eat them is with a scoop or two of ice cream on top of them, such as Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Ultimate Cookie Dough Ice Cream, or Peanut Butter Lover’s Ice Cream. And you can’t forget about topping it with Hot Fudge Sauce or Easy Raspberry Sauce!

How to Store Leftover Cake Mix Brownies

You can keep leftover brownies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 3 days. Or you can place the container in the fridge and the brownies will last for a week. The brownies will get a little bit dry as the week goes on, so for best results eat them sooner rather than later.

Can This Recipe Be Frozen?

You can absolutely freeze cake mix brownies. I recommend storing them in double-bagged airtight plastic bags. They’ll last in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

A plate with three brownie squares stacked on each other

More Easy Brownie Recipes 

If you love brownies as much as I do, then you’ve got to try some of my other favorite recipes. They’re all easy, delicious, and super chocolatey. 

Yield: 12 brownies

Cake Mix Brownies

Three squares of brownies stacked on a plate

These cake mix brownies are soft, moist, and super decadent. They're so easy to make, and only take 30 minutes.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 (15.25 ounce) chocolate cake mix
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  • 2 whole large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line an 8-inch baking dish with parchment paper, or grease the dish well.
  2. Add the cake mix, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla to a mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
  3. Add the chocolate chips and stir until they are evenly distributed. The batter. will be quite thick.
  4. Spread the brownie batter into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 22-25 minutes, until the top is dry, the edges appear done, and a cake tester comes out mostly clean.
  5. Remove the brownies from the oven and let cool completely before slicing.

Notes

  • Store leftovers in an airtight container on the counter for 3 days, or in the fridge for 1 week.
  • You can freeze these brownies for 3 months in a double layer of airtight plastic bags.
  • For best results, use room-temperature eggs.
  • Make sure there's still a few crumbs on the cake tester when you remove the brownies. If the tester comes out perfectly clean, the brownies are overdone.

Nutrition Information

Yield

12

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 314Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 5gCholesterol 51mgSodium 332mgCarbohydrates 45gFiber 1gSugar 27gProtein 3g

Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on dinnersdishesanddesserts.com should only be used as a general guideline.

Did you make this recipe?

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© Erin S
Cuisine: American / Category: Dessert Recipes

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Sandra

Friday 14th of July 2023

These brownies are really amazing! So easy to make and so delish!

Beth

Wednesday 12th of July 2023

These look so good! Can you believe I've never made brownies with cake mix before? I can't wait to try it.

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