Cakey Brownies

Before you start

Cakey brownies have a soft, open crumb that springs back when pressed, somewhere between a fudgy brownie and a chocolate snack cake. Three choices push them there: creaming softened butter with sugar to trap air, adding baking powder for lift, and using more flour and a splash of milk. Cocoa powder carries all the chocolate flavor, which keeps the crumb light rather than dense.

Because these rise, pan size matters. A 23 cm (9 in) square gives tall squares with a tender middle; a larger pan makes thin, dry bars. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean or with a crumb or two. Cakey brownies are excellent plain, but they also hold frosting well, since the crumb is sturdy.

Ingredients

• 170 g (¾ cup) unsalted butter — softened
• 300 g (1½ cups) granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs — room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 190 g (1½ cups, spooned and leveled) all-purpose flour
• 65 g (¾ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder — natural or Dutch-process
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp fine salt
• 120 ml (½ cup) whole milk — room temperature

Method

1. Heat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease the pan and line it with parchment, leaving an overhang on two sides.
2. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt into a bowl and whisk to combine. Cocoa clumps easily, so do not skip sifting.
3. Beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed for 3 minutes, until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in the vanilla.
4. On low speed, add a third of the dry ingredients, then half the milk. Repeat, ending with the dry ingredients. Mix only until no streaks remain.
5. Spread the batter evenly in the pan. Bake for 28 to 32 minutes, until the top looks dry and springs back when lightly pressed and a toothpick in the center comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.
6. Cool in the pan on a rack for 1 hour. Lift out, frost if desired, and cut into 16 squares.

Tips for success

• Room-temperature eggs and milk keep the creamed butter from seizing, which helps the batter hold air.
• Dutch-process cocoa gives a darker, smoother chocolate flavor; natural cocoa is fruitier. Both work here because baking powder handles the lift.
• For neat squares, chill the cooled pan for 20 minutes and cut with a long knife in single downward strokes.

Substitutions

Whole milk

Buttermilk or plain yogurt thinned with water adds a slight tang and a more tender crumb. Coffee deepens the chocolate flavor.

Unsalted butter

Salted butter works; cut the added salt to ¼ teaspoon. Oil cannot be creamed, so it makes a denser, moister result.

Granulated sugar

Replacing a third with brown sugar adds moisture and caramel flavor while staying light.

Variations

Chocolate fudge frosting

Beat 85 g softened butter, 180 g powdered sugar, 30 g cocoa, 2 tbsp milk and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth and spread over the cooled slab.

Mint brownies

Add ½ tsp peppermint extract to the batter and top with a thin green mint buttercream.

Troubleshooting

Brownies domed and cracked in the center

The oven ran hot or the batter was overmixed. Check with an oven thermometer and mix just until combined after the flour goes in.

Dry and crumbly

They baked too long or the pan was larger than 23 cm. Start checking at 26 minutes and use the right pan.

Dense and fudgy instead of cakey

The butter was too soft or melted, so it could not hold air, or the baking powder was old. Cream cool-soft butter until fluffy and replace leaveners after about six months open.

Storage

Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 3 days. Frosted brownies with buttercream keep at cool room temperature for a day, then refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze unfrosted squares for up to 3 months.

Safety notes

Do not taste the raw batter, which contains raw egg and flour. Contains egg, milk and wheat.