Omg. Yep, that's the reaction I had too. I started out creating a brownie cake for my brother because he loves brownies. Then I had an idea to add bourbon, because he loves bourbon (who doesn't?). Then I decided the brownie cake looked too plain so I made my own icing... and you know the rest. So easy, so fabulous.
Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1 box brownie mix (I used Ghirardelli dark chocolate)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon bourbon for the cake mix & another for the icing (I used Angels Envy, use your favorite)
- 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 splashes of water
- 1/4 cup crushed pecans
Recipe:
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the brownie mix, 1 tablespoon bourbon, olive oil & vegetable oil. The recipe on the brownie box will most likely call for 1 egg, I didn't want to use any eggs so I adjusted with more vegetable oil instead. The above measurements work!)
- Pour the brownie mix into a round cake pan (or honestly whatever shape you want!). Bake 2-3 minutes less than the instructions (mine was 325 for 40 minutes). The reason I bake it a little less is so the cake is chewy / fudgy. You can test with a toothpick.
- While the cake is baking, mix 1/4 cup of the confectioners sugar with the remaining tablespoon of bourbon, cinnamon & a splash of water. Once the icing is combined, add in crushed pecans. I bought the pecans for baking because they're already crushed, you can use any kind you have/like.
- Once you stir in the pecans, the mixture will become closer to a spread than an icing.
- After the brownie cake bakes & cools, run a knife or spatula around the edges to loosen it up, then turn it over on a serving tray/plate. Now it's ready for icing!
- Spread the pecan mixture on top of the brownie cake evenly.
- Mix the remaining confectioners sugar with another splash of water to make white icing. A little water goes a long way! Tip: I mixed it in a measuring cup so there's a spout for pouring)
- Once the icing is ready, hold the measuring cup about 6 inches above the brownie cake & drizzle in whatever design you like! I did zig zags all over my cake & then swirled the remaining on top.
- Let the icing cool for about 20 minutes so it hardens before you cut the cake. Enjoy!