Red Velvet Brownie Recipe From Scratch

JUMP TO RECIPEPIN RECIPE

5 from 7 votes

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.

Dense and fudgy brownies swirled with red velvet cake– everything is made from scratch!

Red Velvet Brownie Recipe From Scratch - Fresh April Flours (1)

First week of February and we’re comin’ in hot with not only our second red velvet recipe this week (and third overall in Fresh April Flours’ red velvet week!), but also February’s Brownie of The Month!

Did you see yesterday’s red velvet blossom cookies? So adorable and so necessary for a holiday that doesn’t get much more than “chocolate” slapped on it as a staple treat for gifting.

Red Velvet Brownie Recipe From Scratch - Fresh April Flours (2)

Last month, I kicked off my monthly brownie series with homemade fudgy brownies. I told you there that we’d be building upon that base recipe each month to add 11 more brownie recipes to our collection, so I’m excited to get the ball rolling with our first “remix” brownie recipe!

I have to tell you that I really truly debated internally making these red velvet brownies with cake mix for the red velvet component of them, but I decided on a firm “no” when I seriously thought about it.

Red Velvet Brownie Recipe From Scratch - Fresh April Flours (3)

And here’s why…

Delicious Red Velvet Brownies Recipe (No Box Mix!)

There is absolutely a time and a place for cake mix. Like in my cake batter dip, my red velvet Rice Krispies treats, ormy red velvet pancakes.

I even have a recipe coming later this week that includes red velvet cake mix (here is that red velvet puppy chow!).

Red Velvet Brownies From Homemade Red Velvet Cake Batter

When it came to deciding exactly how to go about the red velvet swirl of these brownies, I turned to my beloved red velvet cupcakes. I worked hard to develop a light and fluffy cupcake recipe with those cuties, and I’m really proud of the end result.

Have you tried them?

Red Velvet Brownie Recipe From Scratch - Fresh April Flours (5)

I am not, however, into any kind of “cakey” business when it comes to these brownies, so I had to do a little tweaking of the recipe in order to bring red velvet cake, but leave behind the cakey-ness.

I typically use whipped egg whites in my red velvet cupcakes to incorporate air. I also cream my butter and sugar to bring air to the batter as well.

Since I didn’t want to encourage much more lift than what the little bit of flour I use in my brownies, I decided to use a full egg in the red velvet cake batter and melt the butter.

I also went with 1/3 of the recipe for my cupcakes, and it turned out to be the perfect amount of red velvet batter to complement all the gooey, fudgy brownie batter.

Red Velvet Brownie Ingredients

For the brownie base, you will need:

unsalted butter
semi-sweet chocolate
light brown sugar
granulated sugar
eggs
vanilla extract
all-purpose flour
salt

For the red velvet cake batter swirl, you will need:

all-purpose flour
unsweetened cocoa powder
salt
baking soda
unsalted butter
granulated sugar
egg
vanilla extract
red gel coloring
buttermilk

How to Make Red Velvet Cake Brownies

BROWNIE BATTER

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and chopped chocolate, stirring frequently until completely smooth. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
Whisk sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt and stir gently until completely combined. Set aside and prepare the red velvet brownie batter.

RED VELVET BROWNIE BATTER

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cooled butter and sugar until no lumps remain. Add the egg and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and red food coloring and whisk until evenly dispersed. Finally, whisk in the buttermilk until everything is combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a large spatula until no flour pockets remain and batter is smooth.

Combine the Batters

Pour almost all of the the brownie batter into the prepared pan, reserving about ⅓ cup (this does not have to be exact). Pour the red velvet batter on top of the brownie batter, the dollop the reserved brownie batter on top of the red velvet layer. Use a knife to carefully swirl the batters together, taking care not to blend them completely. Bake brownies for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting into squares.
When you are ready to cut the brownies, remove the brownies by lifting the foil overhang straight up. Peel back remaining foil and place brownie block onto a large cutting board.

The Best Red Velvet Cake Brownies You’ll Have

The end result of these red velvet brownies was to die for. There’s certainly a cake-like texture going on in there, but I was able to completely eliminate the cakey-ness of the cupcake batter with the sheer density of the brownie batter.

I shared a brownie with my younger toddler (who kept signing and asking for more), gave two away to the older toddler’s preschool bestie and her mom, and left the rest of the batch with my former coworkers on Friday afternoon.

I got a text on Friday evening asking for a pre-release of the recipe so one of them could make the brownies for the Super Bowl. She actually said “I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever eaten.”

Red Velvet Brownie Recipe From Scratch - Fresh April Flours (6)

And that’s coming from a scientist. She knows proper research.

So there you have it, the best red velvet brownie. It must be, right?

I hope you love this month’s brownie recipe, and I urge you to give some love to red velvet at other times of the year. In fact, I’m thinking these would make an adorable Christmas brownie, especially with some festive sprinkles.

Red Velvet Brownie Recipe From Scratch - Fresh April Flours (7)

How to Store This Red Velvet Brownie Recipe

Red velvet brownies stay fresh covered tightly at room temperature up to 1 week.

Can you freeze Red Velvet Brownies?

These brownies freeze beautifully! Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw brownies in refrigerator overnight or at room temperature.

5 from 7 votes

Pin RecipePrint RecipeRate this Recipe

Dense and fudgy brownies swirled with red velvet cake– everything is made from scratch!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Bake Time25 minutes mins

Total Time40 minutes mins

Recipe Author Lynn April

Servings: 16 brownies

Ingredients

BROWNIE BATTER

▢ ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter cut into 6-8 slices
▢ 8 ounces (227g) semi-sweet chocolate coarsely chopped
▢ ¾ cup (150g) firmly packed light brown sugar
▢ ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
▢ 3 large eggs room temperature preferred¹
▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ ¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

RED VELVET BROWNIE BATTER

▢ 6 Tablespoons (47g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
▢ ½ Tablespoon (4g) unsweetened cocoa powder
▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
▢ ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
▢ 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter melted and allowed to cool
▢ ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
▢ 1 large egg
▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
▢ ½ teaspoon red gel coloring
▢ ¼ cup (60g) buttermilk

Instructions

BROWNIE BATTER

Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line an 8" or 9" square baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and chopped chocolate, stirring frequently until completely smooth. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes.
Whisk sugar into cooled chocolate mixture until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt and stir gently until completely combined. Set aside and prepare the red velvet brownie batter.

RED VELVET BROWNIE BATTER

In a medium size bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the cooled butter and sugar until no lumps remain. Add the egg and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and red food coloring and whisk until evenly dispersed. Finally, whisk in the buttermilk until everything is combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Stir with a large spatula until no flour pockets remain and batter is smooth.

COMBINE THE BATTERS

Pour almost all of the the brownie batter into the prepared pan, reserving about ⅓ cup (this does not have to be exact). Pour the red velvet batter on top of the brownie batter, the dollop the reserved brownie batter on top of the red velvet layer. Use a knife to carefully swirl the batters together, taking care not to blend them completely. Bake brownies for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting into squares.
When you are ready to cut the brownies, remove the brownies by lifting the foil overhang straight up. Peel back remaining foil and place brownie block onto a large cutting board. Store leftover brownies at room temperature up to 1 week. Brownies freeze well, up to 3 months. Thaw in refrigerator overnight.

Notes

Room temperature eggs: these incorporate into batter much more easily than cold eggs, although this is not absolutely necessary.

Adapted from homemade fudgy brownies and red velvet cupcakes

Did you make this recipe?Mention @freshaprilflours on Instagram or tag #freshaprilflours!

Nutrition Disclosure

All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.

Red Velvet Brownie Recipe From Scratch - Fresh April Flours (2024)

FAQs

What does too much flour do to brownies? ›

Brownies need flour, of course—without it, they'd be eggy chocolate soup—but too much flour makes them parched, stiff, and literally hard to swallow. There are at least two ways to circumvent flour's dehydrating properties. The first is to substitute ground nuts for some of the flour.

Get More Info ›

Is it cheaper to buy brownie mix or make from scratch? ›

So you would divide the cost of one bag of flour by 7 to get the cost per batch of brownies. Repeat with all ingredients and it will be clear that it is cheaper to bake than buy. Most dry baking ingredients have a long shelf life too, so you don't have to make brownies every week to use them up by a best by date.

Tell Me More ›

What is the difference between red velvet cake and brownies? ›

It typically has a tender and moist texture, and is usually iced with a cream cheese frosting. The bright red color is achieved by using a small amount of cocoa powder and red food coloring. In comparison, brownies are a dense and fudgy dessert with a strong chocolate flavor, often containing nuts or chocolate chips.

Read The Full Story ›

What happens if you don't put enough flour in brownies? ›

What would happen to a brownie if you used less flour than you should have? - Quora. It depends on how much less. If we're talking half a cup less, they'll probably end up really sticky. If you don't use enough flour, they won't harden up at all.

Know More ›

What happens if you use self raising flour instead of plain flour in brownies? ›

The self-rising flour will give your brownies a cake like quality; usually you want brownies to be dense, rich. The cake flour will be light, delicate; again, maybe not the quality you want for brownies.

Keep Reading ›

What makes real red velvet cake? ›

Popular in the southern U.S., red velvet cake is a vanilla cake with a few tablespoons of cocoa powder and red food coloring mixed in. Vinegar and buttermilk bring some acid to the batter, adding a bit of tanginess that balances out the sweet cream cheese-butter frosting that is standard.

Tell Me More ›

What makes red velvet cake velvety? ›

The cocoa gave the cakes a velvety texture and feel. When bakers added vinegar, baking soda, or buttermilk to their recipes to tenderize the cakes, the acid in those ingredients reacted with the cocoa, which was not Dutch-processed, to give the cakes a red tint. That color became a signature of velvet cakes.

Is red velvet made with chocolate or vanilla? ›

In 1911, a combination of devil's food cake and mahogany cake was published as a velvet cocoa cake recipe. Red velvet cake is sometimes mistaken for chocolate, but it's a vanilla cake with a striking ruby color. The red shade comes from a combination of red food coloring and cocoa powder.

What is better in a brownie box mix water and oil or butter? ›

Further, you can make those boxed brownies taste a little closer to the real thing with a couple of easy substitutions. Specifically, swap out oil and water for butter and coffee — the result will be a more robust, more flavorful batch of boxed brownies.

Explore More ›

Does red velvet have vinegar? ›

On top of having all the typical cake ingredients (flour, sugar, butter, and eggs), red velvet cake is also comprised of cocoa powder, buttermilk, and vinegar. When combined, these ingredients create the color as the cocoa powder reacts to the acids.

Know More ›

What kind of cocoa for red velvet cake? ›

If the recipe calls for red food coloring, either will be fine so use what you have. If it uses beets or another natural color source, use natural cocoa.

Read The Full Story ›

What flavor is red velvet? ›

What flavor is red velvet? While there are cocoa undertones, red velvet is not chocolate cake because it balances both chocolate and vanilla flavors. It contains cocoa but not the same quantity as traditional chocolate cake, resulting in a more subtle cocoa flavor and tanginess due to the buttermilk and vinegar.

Get More Info Here ›

What happens if you bake with too much flour? ›

When there's too much flour and not enough liquid, the whole rising process is thrown off. The dryness of the dough will prevent the yeast or another rising agent from activating properly, leading to a stunted rise (or it may not rise at all). The resulting loaf will be dense as well as dry.

View Details ›

What happens if you use too much flour in baking? ›

Too much flour and not enough water can cause crumbly bread – people often do this if the dough is too sticky and they add more flour rather than kneading through it.

See Details ›

What happens if you use too much flour in a recipe? ›

recipes to be dry or dense! Here's the proper way to. measure flour for your recipes!

Find Out More ›

What to do if you put too much flour in something? ›

You can typically solve this problem by adding water and kneading some more, but if you have to do this too much, you'll need to add more leavener too, and possibly fat or egg any other such ingredient (if your dough had any to begin with), just to balance it out.

Learn More ›