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 (see comments below).
This was originally published as a Hint from Heloise, back 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).
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.
18 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