Christmas Cake Brownies

Aren’t these Christmas Cake Brownies festive looking? I used Christmas colors here, but you could change up the colors for any holiday, birthday, class party, bake sale, or family get-together. Oh, and that pretty dusting on top? I dyed the powdered sugar before sprinkling it over the frosting. Cool, right? It gives the brownies a little extra “ta-da!” without needing fancy decorating skills.

I used my recipe from the Blue Cake Mix Brownies to make the cake brownies. This time, I dressed them up with frosting and colored powdered sugar so they look merry and bright. Cake brownies are a fun cross between cake and a brownie: soft like cake, but still dense enough to cut into squares and hold in your hand. With a boxed cake mix, they are easy to make, and all you need for the cake brownie base is 4 ingredients. You might already have everything sitting in your kitchen right now!

Fun Facts About Christmas Cake Brownies

• Brownies are one of those desserts that can lean fudgy, chewy, or cakey depending on the mix-ins, liquid, and bake time.
• Using cake mix as the shortcut makes this recipe especially flexible. Chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, strawberry, or even spice cake mix can work for different holidays.
• Colored powdered sugar is a simple way to decorate without piping bags, candy molds, or complicated designs.
• Frosting helps the powdered sugar and sprinkles stay in place, which makes these brownies easier to transport to parties.

Tips and Tricks

• Do not overmix the batter. Stir until everything is combined, then stop. A thick batter is normal for cake mix brownies.
• Line the pan with parchment paper. This makes it easier to lift the brownies out and cut cleaner squares.
• Let them cool completely before frosting. Warm brownies can melt frosting and make the topping slide around.
• Use a small sifter for powdered sugar. It gives you a lighter, more even dusting.
• Try different colors. Red and green are perfect for Christmas, but pink and red work for Valentine’s Day, orange and black for Halloween, and pastels for Easter.
• Cut with a clean knife. Wipe the knife between cuts for neater party-ready squares.

The grandkids loved these. In fact, they kept asking for more. Good thing I made a big batch of them, right? That is one of my favorite things about this recipe: it is simple enough for a weeknight treat, but cute enough to put on a holiday dessert table.

I’m thinking these would be great for a class party, church gathering, cookie exchange, office potluck, or any get-together with lots of people. You can cut them into smaller squares for little hands or make bigger bakery-style pieces if you want them to feel extra special.

Serving Suggestions

• Serve them on a Christmas platter with peppermint candies, mini candy canes, or extra sprinkles scattered around the plate.
• Add a brownie square to a dessert board with cookies, fudge, chocolate-covered pretzels, and fresh strawberries.
• Warm an unfrosted piece for a few seconds and top it with vanilla ice cream for an easy brownie sundae.
• Package individual squares in treat bags for classroom parties, neighbor gifts, or holiday bake sales.
• Pair with hot cocoa, coffee, milk, or peppermint mocha for a cozy Christmas movie night.

Storage Tips

Let the brownies cool completely before storing them so condensation does not make the tops sticky. Store frosted brownies in a single layer in an airtight container, or place parchment paper between layers if you need to stack them. For the freshest texture, enjoy them within 2 to 4 days at room temperature. If your frosting contains cream cheese, whipped cream, or another perishable ingredient, refrigerate the brownies instead. You can also freeze unfrosted brownies for longer storage: wrap individual squares tightly, place them in a freezer-safe bag or container, and thaw at room temperature when you are ready for a treat.

Do you ever take goodies to your kids’ school parties? What kind of goody do you usually take? If you try these Christmas Cake Brownies, let me know what colors you use. I love seeing how one easy recipe can turn into something different for every celebration.

Easy Variations

• Peppermint Brownies: Sprinkle crushed candy canes over the frosting.
• Birthday Brownies: Use rainbow sprinkles and bright powdered sugar.
• Chocolate Lover’s Brownies: Add mini chocolate chips to the batter before baking.
• Red Velvet Holiday Brownies: Use red velvet cake mix and white frosting for a pretty red-and-white look.

More Christmas Goodies…

Candy Cane Kisses Cheesecake

Christmas Popcorn Cake

Christmas Muddy Buddies

ITEMS/INGREDIENTS USED IN RECIPE – If you are interested in any of the items I may have used (or are similar to the items I used) in making this recipe, I have listed some of them below.  NOTE:  These links are affiliate links of which I receive a small commission from the sale of certain item. This does not affect your price, it remains the same.

• Baking Dish
• Stand Mixer
• Hand Mixer
• Mixing Bowls
• Icing Spatula Set

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Rock on!

~Bobbi

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Christmas Cake Brownies

Christmas Cake Brownies. Made with cake mix and 3 other ingredients. Great for parties and festive too!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Cool 3 hours hours

Total Time 3 hours hours 45 minutes minutes

Servings 24 Servings

Calories 24kcal

Equipment

• 9×13 Baking dish
• Stand Mixer/Hand Mixer

Ingredients

• 2 Pkg, 8.25oz Pillsbury Funfetti Cake Mix, Red
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1/4 Cup Oil
• 1 Tub (16 oz) Pillsbury Classic White Frosting
• Powdered Sugar, Green Optional

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350° and Spray 13×9 or bigger dish.
• Combine cake mix, egg, water and oil in a medium to large bowl. Beat on medium for at least 2 minutes. Batter will be thick.
  
• Spoon into pan and flatten. I use a baggie on my hand sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Let cool for 2-3 hours if adding frosting.
  
• Once cake brownies have cooled. Add frosting generously. If possible, get a little helper. Hi Kyleigh!!
  
• Sprinkle green powdered sugar on top, if desired.
  

Notes

NOTE:  To dye the powder sugar – add a few drops of green food coloring to 4 tbsp of powdered sugar.  Stir, using a small spoon.  Continue adding food coloring until the desired color is reached.

ITEMS/INGREDIENTS USED IN RECIPE – If you are interested in any of the items I may have used (or are similar to the items I used) in making this recipe, I have listed all or some of them above within the post.  NOTE:  These links are affiliate links of which I receive a small commission from the sale of certain item. This does not affect your price, it remains the same.

Nutrition

Calories: 24kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 3mg | Potassium: 3mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg