Cake Mix Brownies (super-easy!)
Lots of people are searching the web these days, wondering how to make brownies from a cake mix. It’s easy — although there is a lot of debate about whether they are an adequate substitute for brownies. Please read the comments below before trying this recipe — there are votes both “for” and “against” the original, unmodified recipe, and I would not want you to be disappointed!
This was originally published as a Hint from Heloise in the late 1970’s.
18-oz devil’s food cake mix
1 egg
3/4 C water, plus a little more as needed*
1/2 C nuts, optional
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9×13 pan. Mix ingredients to make a thick batter (do not overmix). Spread in pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 20-30 minutes, depending on whether you like your brownies chewy (shorter time) or dry (longer).
*In a recent comment, Vicki said that she used a stick of butter (melted, I assume) instead of the water. I haven’t tried it myself, but when I read her comment, I had an “Aha!” moment. I bet this is the secret to turning a chocolate cake mix into real brownies.
While you’re in the cake mix aisle, if you like lemon cookies, pick up a package of lemon cake mix and try these: Lemon Crisps. They are just about the easiest cookies on the planet.
33 Responses to “Cake Mix Brownies (super-easy!)”
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May 4th, 2007 at 3:41 pm
Yummy!! I made these with a cup of semi-sweet choc. chips added and they turned out great!!!
May 5th, 2007 at 10:05 pm
Great idea — the more goodies you add, the better these get. You could also substitute some coffee for the water, to make mocha brownies, or orange juice or liqueur, to make Valencia brownies.
September 23rd, 2007 at 7:06 pm
I made them with coffee sub for water. YUM! I also am going to try substituting different cake mix flavors. Strawberry Brownies! Sounds gooooood!
September 26th, 2007 at 11:51 pm
OK, strawberry sounds good, but don’t you still have to have some chocolate for them to be brownies? Maybe you should call them Strawberry Blondies!
You could always top these with chocolate, as described at the bottom of Margaret’s Lucky Butterscotch Brownies
January 16th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
These were great! I was sitting at home really needing a chocolate fix, but all I had was cake mix. This was so easy! I used 1/4c kahlua, 1/4c olive oil and 1/4c water, and also added about 1/4c milled flax seed and some mini chocolate chips. I baked in an 8×8 baking dish, so they came out nice and chewy.
April 20th, 2008 at 7:10 pm
Thanks for the recipe. I bought a cake mix by mistake[wanted brownies]. This saved the day!
April 25th, 2008 at 1:29 pm
I had to have some brownies for a church event but did not have a mix. I live miles from a store. I have made cookies from a cake mix so I figured there had to be a way to make brownies. I searched on the computer and found your recipe. Thanks!!
June 27th, 2008 at 9:53 am
Thanks a heap. My husband loves Brownies, this makes a larger batch, so I don’t have to bake so often. Thanks again, really appreciated !!!!!!!!
July 28th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
THIS WAS QUITE SUCKISH IT WAS CAKELIKE AND WATERED DOWN DONT WASTE TIME OR MIXES ON THIS STUPID RECIPIE THANKS 4 NUIN!
July 30th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
wow ok so were only 11 and 15. and we wanted brownies
but all we had was chocolate cake mix . this is a gret
recipe. that says alot coming from a judgemental teenager
August 12th, 2008 at 5:40 pm
IF YOU LIKE BROWNIE SHAPED CAKE TRY THIS RECIPE..OTHERWISE DONT USE IT…ITS BASICALLY CAKE…I ASKED FOR BROWNIES NOT CAKE!
August 12th, 2008 at 5:48 pm
The name says it all…these are cake mix brownies. If you are a purist, then I suggest you buy a brownie mix or make something elaborate from scratch, like Mississippi Mud Brownies.
August 15th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
wowww i saw all the great comments on this page and thought, man these MUST be good, so i made them and i didnt get more batter, i actually got less, and the brownies well, they tasted lk chocolate, but they came out cakey and they were really, i cant explain, they werent like brownies at all they just poofed up like cake, and wen i took them out, they deflated, and it was airy, like air bubbles everywhere… i was seriously disappointed with the outcome of these, try forming a better recipe.
August 31st, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I just tried this and it turned out just like cake, but with less eggs. If you want brownies out of a box then I would suggest you buy the brownie mix and not the cake mix.
September 5th, 2008 at 6:02 pm
Okay, purist or no, these do NOT qualify as brownies. The texture is all wrong. That being said, I subbed cappuccino for the water, and baked according to directions. I cut the “brownies” into squares and tried one, but there was something definitely missing. So I microwaved a couple tablespoons of Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting (what I had on hand), added a couple of shakes of cocoa powder, and drizzled it over the top. The cake held together very well, and it kind of reminded me of one of Betty Crocker’s flops a few years back…snackin’ cake. It took care of my chocolate fix for the time being, but I doubt I’ll use this one again.
October 16th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Just a suggestion, for those who do like cake-like brownies, simply add an extra egg to brownie mix. Doctoring up cake mix won’t give you the result you are looking for.
January 21st, 2009 at 11:47 am
The problem is, sometimes you only have a cake mix in the cupboard. Maybe you’re a teenager who can’t drive to the store for a brownie mix. Maybe you are snowed in. Maybe you don’t believe in wasting gas for such a frivolous item.
Anyway, if you’re willing to make do with the cake mix, this recipe will work. If not, go buy a brownie mix. And if you’re a serious lover of really, really good brownies, you’re much better off making one of these recipes from scratch:
Mississippi Mud Brownies
Peanut butter and fudge brownies
Raspberry (or orange) brownies
Party brownies
Export department brownies
May 30th, 2009 at 10:28 am
In the for what it is worth category – to make a cake mix work like brownies you can’t use eggs. If you type Chocolate Caramel Brownie Bars into your search engine you will find a heavenly chocolate bar recipe that uses german chocolate cake mix kraft caramels.
enjoy
July 30th, 2009 at 5:35 am
I read the first few reviews and ran to make the brownies. While it was baking, I read the later reviews.. UH OH!! Sure enough, the “brownies” were very cake-like and crumbly. We had to eat them in bowls. It’s a good thing I’d added choc. chips because otherwise they tasted very blah. Odd since the recipe isn’t far off from regular chocolate cake. I used Devil’s Food which I always use for chocolate cake. I used 1/4 c. canola oil, 1/2 c. water, 1 egg, chocolate chips, nuts. Possibly more oil would’ve been better.
October 16th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
To reply to all those who experienced “cake – like” brownies from this recipe—- Cake mixes have ingredients added that enhance the final appearance and quality of the cake..
So, to achieve a more firmer, brownie result, simply add additional flour , in the amount of 1/2 cup, ( all – purpose), about 1/8 cup water, and 1 more egg. I add some chocolate chips , as well. If you desire nuts, add those.
If you cannot stir the “new” mixture, it’s time to now add additional oil. At least, now the end result will be more like your old friend… the brownie..
Good luck and Happy Baking.. Faith
November 1st, 2009 at 5:59 am
I used 1/2 cup of oil, 1/8 cup or or less water, and 1 egg. Turned out to be terrific! let me know if that works for you too.
November 22nd, 2009 at 4:10 pm
I made these without reading the comments first. I was excited because I only had one egg to bake with. These are very blah. Just like cake, but not as good…ohh well.
November 25th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
wow !
i loved de brownies !
January 12th, 2010 at 9:04 pm
I wanted to make brownies then I found out I didn’t have brownies it save me a trip to the store,and I didn’t have to wait longer for the brownies.
January 31st, 2010 at 6:17 pm
These brownies rocked !!!! But instead of water i added 1 stick of butter, vanilla and some cinnamon. These brownies were sinfully moist and delicious.
March 20th, 2010 at 4:02 pm
I too read the later reviews only after I had it all in the oven. This is cake not brownies.
April 1st, 2010 at 1:40 pm
I tried this recipe and instead of water I used oil and they came out like brownies. They were delicious. I decided to use oil because as stated by the person who made this recipe- Vicki used butter instead of water. But I had no butter so I used oil and they came out delicious. I am glad I didntlisten to the negative comments.
April 13th, 2010 at 3:40 pm
I was looking for a recipe for brownies made from a cake mix on your website because I thought I had misplaced mine. When I saw your recipe I thought it had too much water. I took another look for it and found it. So here is the recipe I have, it too was a newspaper copy from the early 1970 from Heloise: A lady named Wanda sent her recipe, so here it is: One devils food cake mix, 1 egg, 1/4 cup water and add nuts to the batter. It will be thick and hard to stir. Don’t over mix the dough. Place in a greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes. This is a chewy brownie I think the problem with the recipe on your website was the use of more water. That would give you a cake instead of a brownie.
May 18th, 2010 at 10:37 pm
I made them and I think they’re a good cross between brownie and cake:
Brownie mix
3 T. cocoa powder
1/2 c. flour
1/4 c. oil
1/8 – 1/4 c. water
2 eggs
The batter was VERY thick, but they turned out really good. More crumbly than brownies but denser than cake.
May 31st, 2010 at 1:50 pm
I prepared the “Brownies” using one box of
Betty Crocker Super Moist Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix.
I whole egg
I stick of salted melted butter
1/4 cup of leftover AM Coffee.
350 degree oven – 20 minutes
Perfect for us.
A slightly cake-like brownie which hold together beautifully.
The brownies can be picked up and eaten by hand.
Yummy Tasting and so easy to do.
My one tip – I like to cut my brownies into squares as soon as
the pan come out of the oven. Then allow them to cool before
removing them from the pan.
May 31st, 2010 at 1:54 pm
Not very good at this………
I, also, greased my 9×13 cake pan with some solid, non-flavored, Crisco.
The brownies are not greasy or oily and can be removed from the pan
as easy as can be.
August 23rd, 2010 at 6:19 pm
I used this recipe as a guide, but in an attempt to make it somewhat healthy I used two egg whites, a chocolate cake mix and about 1/2-3/4 (maybe close to a cup, I eyeballed it) applesauce. I baked them at 350 until a knife incerted in the center came out just slightly messy…I let them set up for 10 minutes and they were so delicious! My daughter loved them for an afterschool snack!
September 1st, 2010 at 1:03 pm
I tried this,and it worked great!I merely substituted whiskey for the water,bacon for the eggs,and freeze-dried gerbil intestines for the cake mix!It made a great after school snack for the slaves in the basement.