Healthier “Brownie Cake Mix” Recipe You’ll Want to Try - Tree Treasures

Healthier “Brownie Cake Mix” Recipe You’ll Want to Try

Healthier Brownie “Cake Mix” Brownies (with Homemade Mix Option)

Fast, chocolatey, and a bit lighter—applesauce replaces oil for moisture without the heaviness.

Craving rich brownies without a laundry list of ingredients? These brownie-cake bars use a simple cake mix base and a couple smart swaps for a treat that’s quick, moist, and crowd-pleasing. Prefer to skip boxed mix? There’s a DIY homemade chocolate cake mix option below that works perfectly.

Why it works: Using applesauce in place of oil trims calories and keeps moisture; baking just until set preserves a fudgy center; a smaller 8×8 pan gives thicker, brownie-like bars.
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Recipe

Yield: 16 squares  ·  Time: 35 minutes total

Ingredients

  • 1 box (about 15 oz) dark chocolate or devil’s food cake mix
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce (replaces oil)
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)
  • Pinch of salt, if mix is unsalted

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line an 8×8-inch pan.
  2. Whisk eggs, vanilla, and applesauce until smooth.
  3. Stir in cake mix and salt just until combined; batter will be thick.
  4. Fold in chocolate chips if using. Spread evenly in pan.
  5. Bake 20–25 minutes until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool before slicing.

Make It Your Way

  • Extra fudgy: Add 2 Tbsp cocoa + 2 Tbsp melted dark chocolate.
  • Protein boost: Swap 2 Tbsp of cake mix with unsweetened whey or collagen.
  • Nutty crunch: Fold in 1/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans.

DIY Homemade Chocolate “Cake Mix” (for this recipe)

Use this in place of the boxed mix above.

Dry Mix

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (or 3/4 cup coconut sugar)
  • 1/3 cup natural cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt

Whisk well. Then prepare the batter with the same wet ingredients and method as above. Bake as directed (check at 18–22 minutes).

Success Tips

  • Don’t overmix. Thick batter = denser, brownie-like crumb.
  • Pull early. Edges set; center just barely set. Residual heat finishes the job.
  • Applesauce swap. Expect slightly cakier texture than full-oil brownies—still indulgent.

Storage

Keep covered at room temperature up to 3 days, or refrigerate up to 5 days. Freeze slices (well-wrapped) up to 2 months.

OTHER HELP

 

**Nutritional note: Approx. 170 calories per square when made as written and sliced into 16; this varies by cake mix and add-ins.

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