These Fudge Cake Brownies are adapted from an old Southern Living magazine recipe. They are still a favorite almost twenty years later.
I found this recipe in a Southern Living Magazine about twenty years ago. When you are still making a recipe twenty years later, you know it is a good recipe!
Over the years, I have changed up how I make them, but the brownie part is still the same basic recipe.
These brownies are rich, fudgey, and delicious!
The recipe makes an 8×8 pan, but when I need a big pan of brownies, I just double the recipe and use a 9×13 pan. All you need to do is add a few minutes to the cooking time.
My favorite way to make these is to leave off the powdered sugar the original recipe called for.
Instead of the powdered sugar, I place a few chocolate chips on the brownies about 5 minutes before they are done.
I put them back in the oven for the last few minutes. The chocolate melts. Then I spread them around the top for a delicious and easy chocolate frosting.
One tip I have is not to use old chocolate chips that have turned white, like in the picture above.
The chocolate chips on that pan of brownies did not melt right, and I had to take them off and start over. Chocolate does, in fact, go bad, or at least bad enough that it doesn’t melt right.
After the brownies are cool, I refrigerate them for a couple of hours for the chocolate to harden. You don’t have to refrigerate them, but the chocolate will set faster if you do.
Can I make these Southern Living Brownies Gluten Free?
Yes, you can! I have a recipe that I shared for my gluten-free version of Southern Living Fudge Brownies.
Ingredients
- unsweetened cocoa
- sugar
- butter
- eggs, lightly beaten
- self-rising flour
- vanilla extract
- pecans; you can leave these out, but they are good
- chocolate chips
Fudge Cake Brownies
Classic brownie recipe that is delicous.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup self-rising flour
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Combine cocoa and sugar.
- Add melted butter and the next 4 ingredients, stirring just until combined.
- Pour mixture into a lightly greased 8-inch square pan.
- Bake at 350° for 25 to 30 minutes.
- When there are about five minutes left of baking, take the brownies out and sprinkle the chocolate chips carefully on top.
- Place back in the oven for the remaining time. Spread the melted chips across the top of the brownies.
- Cool and then refrigerate for a couple of hours.
- Cut into 2-inch squares and serve.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
9Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 476Total Fat: 27gSaturated Fat: 11gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 72mgSodium: 106mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 4gSugar: 36gProtein: 7g
Nutritional values are approximate and aren't always accurate.
Southern Living Fudge Cake Brownie recipe was originally published in July 2008. Updated July 2026.
Lynn, YUMMY! I can’t wait to make these brownies. Southern Living- can’t go wrong with that. Thanks for joining and sharing the food goodness! Have a great day!
I definitely printed your r4cipe. I am hosting my daughter’s birthday here Saturday, and am actually fixing the trifle recipe I posted today, but these brownies may also have to beon the menu! Everyone has to ahve bit of chocolate, right?
Oh my gosh… I am so hungry for chocolate right now I can hardly stand it. I will be forced to go to the kitchen and drink hershey’s syrup after reading your post!
Thanks for sharing, I CAN NOT wait to try this.
Lana’s comment made me laugh! Excellent-looking brownies! Thanks for sharing the recipe.
~Susan
I just made this recipe last night, and since we don’t have self-rising flour, used 1 cup flour/1 1/2 tsp. baking powder/1/2 tsp. salt for a double recipe. They turned out yummy! I enjoy receiving your blog updates in my reader. Blessings as you continue serving your family!
These sound very good. My boyfriend is a chocoholic and would love these. Thanks.
I rarely make dessert, but I wanted a treat tonight for my husband who had to work really late. These brownies were delicious! My mom always made mix brownies – she said they were better than homemade. But these beat any mix I ever had! I’m going to send her the recipe. They’re easy too. Thanks!
I made these brownies and the family loved them. I didn’t toast the pecans, but chopped them very fine. I sprinkled a few chocolate chips on top before the bake cycle was completed, but the brownies really didn’t need them. I love the smaller amount recipes for the average sized families!! Thanks for sharing.