This indulgent chocolate brownie meringue cake is like a chocolate cake combined with brownies. It’s moist, gooey, and perfectly cakey. It is topped with toasted meringue and chocolatey ganache.
This chocolate brownie meringue cake is both fudgy and cakey. Toasted homemade meringue and chocolate ganache makes it an extra decadent dessert!
MAKING THE BROWNIES
To make the brownies, start by buttering and lining an 8 inch pan with parchment and preheating the oven to 350 F. Next, melt the chocolate and butter so that it has time to cool slightly before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. melting the chopped dark chocolate and cubed butter. You’ll want to chop the chocolate and cube the butter so that it melts faster. Melt the chocolate-butter mixture on the stove top or in the microwave.
MELTING THE BUTTER AND CHOCOLATE
Chop the chocolate and cube the butter so that it melts faster. Melt the chocolate-butter mixture on the stove top or in the microwave.
To melt it on the stove, place the butter and chocolate in a medium saucepan and stir until melted and smooth.
To melt it in the microwave, melt it with the microwave on 50% power for 20 second intervals. Stir well in between. Continue until melted and smooth.
THE DRY INGREDIENTS
In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt. The recipe calls for dutch-processed cocoa. You can substitute regular cocoa powder if you don’t have dutch-processed. I love the rich, chocolate color dutch-processed gives and find it a bit less bitter than regular cocoa powder, so recommend using that if possible.
EGGS AND SUGAR
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs and sugars in a large bowl for about two minutes or until mixture becomes pale and creamy. The eggs will give these brownies the bit of cakiness they have. Two minutes might feel like a long time, but switch arms if you get tired or recruit someone to whisk for part of it.
COMBINING THE INGREDIENTS AND BAKING THE BROWNIES
Whisk in the vanilla. Use a spatula to stir the melted butter and chocolate mixture then use a wooden spoon or a spatula to gently stir in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined then pour into the prepared pan. Be careful not to overmix!
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place it on a rack in the middle position of the oven. Bake 20-23 minutes. Check the for doneness at around 18 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let the brownies cool completely in the pan. Cooling will take at least two hours at room temperature or about an hour in the fridge.
HOW TO MAKE MERINGUE
If you’ve never made meringue, I know it can sound difficult and intimidating. It’s really not that hard and we might have this idea that it’s hard because it’s not something people make often.
You will need a candy thermometer to make it. It tells you exactly the mixture is ready to get added to the egg whites. It’s too hard to know when to add it without the thermometer.
A stand mixer makes making meringue a lot easier, but is not required. I’ve made meringues before using a hand held mixer.
HERE ARE THE STEPS FOR MAKING MERINGUE
- Combine the water and sugar to a pan over medium heat. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan or have it handy.
- With the water and sugar on the stove, place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer) with a whisk attachment and whisk on medium low.
- When the water-sugar mixture reaches 250 F and the egg whites have begun forming soft peaks, carefully and slowly pour the hot water-sugar mixture into the egg whites while the mixer continues to whip. Add the salt and vanilla and continue whisking for 5-7 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
HOW TO TOAST MERINGUE
To toast the meringue topping, start by spooning the meringue mixture on top of the cooled brownies. You can spread it completely over the brownie mixture using an offset spatula. I leave the edges of the brownies bare because I like to leave a little of the chocoaltey color. Use the spatula to create little spikes in the meringue. These will look especially cool toasted!
The meringue can be toasted under the broiler or with a kitchen blow torch. I used the broiler since I seem to have misplaced my blow torch during my move from Boston to Ottawa.
Next time I make them, I hope to have picked up a new blow torch. The broiler works fine, but I find the blow torch more fun and gives me more control on how toasted I want them.
EASY CHOCOLATE GANACHE
The ganache is so easy and really completes this dessert. I wasn’t planning on topping this dessert with chocolate sauce, but decided it’d be that perfect finishing touch.
To make the chocolate sauce, just pour some hot heavy cream over a bowl of chocolate chips. Let is sit for a minute then give it a stir. Let it cool slightly before drizzling it over the meringue.
Try not to let it sit too long or it will thicken up and won’t be liquidy enough to fall in a nice drizzle. If it does thicken up too much, just reheat it for a few seconds in the microwave and stir it again.
AN AMAZING DESSERT
So excited for you to try this Chocolate Brownie Meringue Cake! Whether you eat them with a fork or with your hands or serve them on a special occasion or not, this recipe takes brownies from a delicious treat to an extra special dessert!
FOR MORE BROWNIE RECIPES, TRY MY:
Chocolate Brownie Cake
Ingredients
FOR THE BROWNIES
- ¾ cup unsalted butter cubed
- 4 ounces dark chocolate chopped
- ¾ cup flour
- ¼ cup Dutch processed cocoa
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 ¾ teaspoons vanilla
FOR THE MERINGUE
- ¾ cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons water
- 3 egg whites
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 pinch salt
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- ¼ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
FOR THE BROWNIES
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter the bottom of an 8" baking dish and line it with parchment paper. Let the paper overhand on two sides.
- In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate and butter. Alternatively, the mixture can be melted in a microwave. Stir until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugars for about 2 minutes or until mixture becomes pale and creamy. Whisk in the vanilla. Use a wooden spoon or a spatula to gently stir in the melted chocolate and butter then fold in the dry ingredients. Mix until just combined then pour into the prepared pan.
- Bake for 20-23 minutes or until a toothpick, when inserted in the middle, comes out with a few crumbs.
FOR THE MERINGUE
- Combine the water and sugar to a pan over medium heat. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan or have it handy.
- With the water and sugar on the stove, place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer) with a whisk attachment and whisk on medium low.
- When the water-sugar mixture reaches 250 F and the egg whites have begun forming soft peaks, carefully and slowly pour the hot water-sugar mixture into the egg whites while the mixer continues to whip. Add the salt and vanilla and continue whisking for 5-7 minutes or until stiff peaks form.
- Spoon the meringue over the cooled brownies and spread/swirl it using a spatula. Place it under the broiler for about a minute or use a kitchen torch to toast it.
FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- Place the chocolate chips in a bowl. Heat the heavy cream for about 20 seconds in the microwave or in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour hot heavy cream over the chocolate chips and let stand for a minute. After a minute, give the mixture a stir. Let cool slightly before drizzling it over the meringue.
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Barbara Briggs Ward
So heavenly delicious!
Natalie
Happy to hear that! It definitely is 🙂