Fudgy Red Velvet Brownies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Fudgy red velvet brownies made from scratch, no cake mix. The batter comes together in one bowl with melted butter and gel food coloring, bakes in about 25 minutes, and gets a layer of tangy cream cheese frosting once the pan has cooled completely.
Servings: 12 people
Calories: 438kcal
Equipment
- 1 9x9 baking pan
- 1 hand mixer
- 1 large mixing bowl
Ingredients
Red Velvet Brownies
- ¾ cup Unsalted butter
- 1¼ cups White sugar
- 3 whole Whole eggs (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- ⅓ cup Neutral Oil (canola oil, vegetable oil, avocado oil)
- ¼ cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- ¾ cup All purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon Distilled White vinegar
- ¼ teaspooon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Red food coloring gel preferred
Stable Cream Cheese Frosting
- ¼ cup Unsalted butter
- 4 oz Cream cheese
- 1 teaspooon Vanilla extract/ Vanilla bean paste
- 2 cups Confectioner's sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
For the Red Velvet Brownies:
- Prep the pan: Preheat your oven to 335°F (170°C) and grease or line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper.
- Melt the butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, melt the unsalted butter and mix it with white sugar until smooth.¾ cup Unsalted butter, 1¼ cups White sugar
- Add egg and vanilla: Stir in the whole egg and vanilla extract until well combined.3 whole Whole eggs (room temperature), 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
- Add oil and cocoa powder: Mix in the neutral oil and unsweetened cocoa powder until smooth.⅓ cup Neutral Oil, ¼ cup unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- Add flour, cornstarch and salt: Gradually fold in the all-purpose flour, cornstarch and salt, mixing just until combined.¾ cup All purpose flour, 1 tablespoon Cornstarch, ¼ teaspooon Salt
- Add vinegar and red coloring gel: Stir in the distilled white vinegar to activate the cocoa and create that signature red velvet flavor.1 tablespoon Distilled White vinegar, 1 teaspoon Red food coloring
- Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the brownies cool completely before frosting.
For the Cream Cheese Frosting:
- Mix cream cheese, salt, and vanilla: In a bowl, beat together the cream cheese, vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until smooth.¼ cup Unsalted butter, 4 oz Cream cheese, 1 teaspooon Vanilla extract/ Vanilla bean paste, pinch of salt, 2 cups Confectioner's sugar
- Add powdered sugar: Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar and continue to beat until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
- Frost the brownies: Once the brownies are completely cool, spread the cream cheese frosting evenly over the top.
Notes
Cocoa powder. Use natural unsweetened cocoa, not Dutch-process. Natural cocoa is acidic and reacts with the vinegar. Dutch-process is already alkalized, so you lose the tang and the color reads browner.
Food coloring. Gel only. Liquid coloring takes considerably more to reach the same red and thins the batter while you add it.
Measuring flour. Spoon it into the cup and level it off. Scooping straight from the bag packs in extra flour, which is the most common reason a batch turns out cakey.
Doneness. Pull the pan when a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs on it, not clean. A clean toothpick means they are already overbaked. They keep setting in the hot pan after the oven.
Cooling before frosting. The pan has to be completely cool, not mostly cool. Cream cheese frosting softens against residual heat and will slide off the top instead of staying where you spread it.
Cream cheese. Full-fat block, not the spreadable tub. Tub cream cheese carries extra water and the frosting will not hold its shape.
Cutting. Chill the frosted pan about 30 minutes, lift the slab out by the parchment, and cut with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped dry between cuts.
Storage. Refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days. Cream cheese frosting is perishable, so keep counter time to 2 hours while serving. Let squares sit out 20 to 30 minutes before eating.
Freezing. Freeze unfrosted squares up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, bring to room temperature, then frost.
Nutrition
Calories: 438kcal | Carbohydrates: 48.2g | Protein: 5.1g | Fat: 24.3g | Cholesterol: 144mg | Sodium: 980mg | Sugar: 41.8g
