Easy Fudgy Birthday Brownies

Stacks of birthday brownies cut into squares.

5 from 2 votes

A fudgy brownie that starts with a brownie mix, is topped with cake batter frosting for the ultimate birthday brownies dessert.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Cooling Time1

Total Time2

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: brownies

Author: June Albertson-Dick

Ingredients

Brownies

1 box fudge brownie mix {18.3 ounces}
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
¼ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cake Batter Frosting

4 ounces cream cheese {softened}
2 Tablespoons butter {softened}
½ cup vanilla cake mix**
2 cups powdered sugar
1-2 Tablespoons milk {to thin}
½ cup rainbow sprinkles

Instructions

Brownies

Preheat the oven to 350°. Prepare a 9×9 baking pan by spraying liberally with nonstick cooking spray and lining it with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, mix brownie mix, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, oil and vanilla until batter is smooth and contains few to no lumps. Be sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl to incorporate all of the dry brownie mix. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake brownies for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out with some moist crumbs and the surface of the brownies begin to crack. Allow the brownies to cool completely.

Cake Batter Frosting

For the frosting, combine the softened cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy and smooth. Add cake mix {see how to heat treat it below} and powdered sugar and continue to mix, add enough milk to get the consistency you want. Finally add sprinkles and mix together until evenly distributed.
Top the cooled brownies with the cake batter frosting and smooth into an even layer. Top with additional sprinkles if desired. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Remove the brownies from the pan and cut into a dozen squares using a plastic knife.

Notes

Don't skip lining your pan with parchment paper. This simple step allows you to remove the entire pan of brownies at once and makes them easier to cut into squares.
Allow the brownies to cool completely before adding the frosting. If you try to do this step while it is warm, the frosting will melt and not create a nice distinctive brownie layers.
Refrigerate the frosted brownies before cutting into squares. It will make this step so much easier.
Cut the brownies with a plastic knife. They are naturally nonstick and help to cut sharp lines without clumps.

**To Heat Treat the Cake Mix: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the cake mix onto a baking sheet, spread into an even layer and bake for about 5 minutes.

Allow the treated cake mix to cool before adding it to the frosting.

Nutrition