How to make cake like brownies

If you're like me, you're not a fan of dense brownies that are more reminiscent of fudge than cake. For a long time I stopped making brownies because it seemed like no matter what I tried they were simply destined to be so fudgy that no one in my family would eat them. But I have childhood memories of cake-like brownies that I absolutely loved! Obviously, it's not impossible, I just don't know the secret. I did countless Google searches and I kept finding the same suggestion - add an extra egg - but I tried that and it didn't give the result I wanted. I tried multiple different mixes, baking from scratch, it didn't matter. Adding an extra egg does change the texture but to really be the brownies from my childhood I needed the batter to rise a little. So, it dawned on me that I probably needed to increase the amount of leavener. Lo and behold, it worked. The brownies I remembered and something my family loves. The trick is to add 1tsp of baking powder. My favorite recipe is below but I have found this works equally well with boxed mixes as it does being made from scratch.

Wet ingredients Dry ingredients

1/2 C butter (I prefer salted) 1/3 C cocoa powder (unsweetened)

1 C sugar 1/2 C flour (I use Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten free)

3 eggs 1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla 1-1/4 tsp baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square pan.

Whisk dry ingredients together.

Whisk eggs until whites and yolks are combined and set aside.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan then remove from heat.

Stir the sugar and vanilla into the melted butter. Stir in eggs until well combined.

Using an electric mixer, gradually beat in the dry ingredients until smooth.

Pour batter into the prepared pan.

Bake for 25-30 minutes Take care not to overcook.

Enjoy!