Baby Chai Caramel Fudgey Brownie Cake

Brownie Cake is usually made as a sheet cake or a layer cake, but in my world they are small individually iced round brownie bites. I mean the whole idea of a brownie is to have your own personal serving that you can eat without a fork. Although, I’m sure in the future when I make an entire brownie cake I’ll be saying how cool it is to eat a brownie with a fork; but for now lets stick with finger food. Not quite as big as a cupcake and not as small as a cheesecake bite, I hereby classify this recipe as baby cakes!

So what exactly is it, you might be thinking to yourself? Well I baked my brownie cake batter in muffin tins, topped with a creamy chai buttercream, and then drizzled the final cakes with salted caramel. Cream cheese frosting is great and all, but when you want a strong topping that will hold its shape under caramel, buttercream is the way to go.

Chocolate, chai, and caramel are a trio I usually equate with Starbucks holiday drinks and now you can associate them with baby brownie cake!

Tips for Brownie Cake

• Spray your muffin tin with baking spray. Or lightly oil and flour each well.
• Use high quality dark chocolate and cocoa powder.
• Scoop you batter with an ice cream scoop.
• Remove brownie cakes from the oven when the center is still slightly underdone. They will finish baking from the heat of the pan once removed and thicken as they cool.
• Make sure brownies are cool before frosting.

Tips for Chai Buttercream

• Always use room temperature butter for the best buttercream.
• Steep the chai tea bags in warm milk for 5 minutes. I then take a spoon and gently press the teabags against the side of the mug to squeeze out any excess liquid.
• Add your powdered sugar slowly. This is what thickens your buttercream and makes it smooth.
• If you find after adding the recommend amount of powdered sugar that your buttercream is too stiff, simply add a Tbsp of chai tea or milk and whip again.
• If you find your buttercream to be too thin, add more powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency.
• Remember it takes a much larger amount of powdered sugar in combination with a small amount of liquid to make a frosting texture.

Homemade Salted Caramel

Visit this Link for steps and ingredients for Caramel Sauce.

Baby Chai Caramel Fudgey Brownie Cakes

By Jenn

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Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 10 Cakes

Calories: 383kcal

Ingredients 

Brownie Batter

• ▢ 7 Tbsp (100 g) Unsalted Butter
• ▢ 1 Cup (100 g) Dark Chocolate Chunks
• ▢ ½ Cup (100 g) Dark Brown Sugar
• ▢ ⅓ Cup (75 g) Granulated Sugar
• ▢ 2 Eggs
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
• ▢ ⅔ Cup (100 g) All Purpose Flour
• ▢ ⅓ Cup (50 g) Whole Wheat Flour
• ▢ 3 Tbsp Dark Cocoa Powder
• ▢ ½ tsp Baking Powder
• ▢ ¼ tsp Salt

Buttercream

• ▢ 4 Chai Tea Bags
• ▢ 6 Tbsp Hot Milk
• ▢ Pinch of Salt
• ▢ 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract
• ▢ 4 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
• ▢ 2-3 Cups (160 g) Powdered Sugar

Homemade Caramel Sauce *see above for link*

Instructions

Make Caramel the Day before or several hours prior to making cakes.

Brownie Cakes

• Preheat Oven to 350 F and prepare muffin tin with baking spray.
• In medium bowl hand whisk together flours, salt, baking powder, and powder. (sift and weigh your flours for exact measurements) Set aside.
• Place your chocolate and butter in a small sauce pan on low-medium heat. Stir until both are melted and creamy. Remove from heat and set aside.
• In bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat together eggs, vanilla, and both sugars.
• Pour cooled but still liquid chocolate butter into sugar egg mixture while continuing on medium speed.
• Once combined, slowly spoon in flour mixture.
• You may need to scrape sides and bottom of bowl to incorporate all ingredients.
• Once blended into a nice thick batter, take an ice cream scoop and transfer a heaping scoop into each muffin well. ( You should have enough for 10 cakes.)
• Bake for 15-18 minutes until top of cake pushes back and center is still slightly gooey.
• Transfer tray to cooling rack for 10 minutes before cooling.

Make your Buttercream!

• Steep your chai tea bags in the hot milk for 5-8 minutes.
• Squeeze excess liquid from tea bags and pour the chai milk into bowl of stand mixer.
• Add vanilla and room temperature butter.
• Beat on medium high speed with whisk attachment until smooth.
• Slowly add powdered sugar until thick and creamy.
• Transfer buttercream to plastic piping bag fitted with desired tip or cut end of bag for smooth piping.
• Pipe frosting onto each cake.
• Drizzle with caramel sauce and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcal

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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