How to Make a Peeps Sunflower Brownie Cake Recipe! Have some extra peeps from Easter? Use them to make this delicious sunflower cake! How to Make a Peeps Sunflower Brownie Cake Recipe is very simple and you will most likely have all the ingredients already in your pantry!
WHY I LOVE MY How to Make a Peeps Sunflower Brownie Cake Recipe
• Easy to make and has a delicious taste
• This brownie cake is super fun to make with family!
• Can make this gluten or dairy-free!
• Perfect for Easter celebration with the peeps as vibrant yellow petals
• Has the most decadent chocolate buttercream on it
• If you are a chocolate lover, you'll love this brownie chocolate cake!
• Super simple to make and frost, you don't need to worry about multiple cake layers!
what you need
INGREDIENT NOTES
Brownie mix: Use your favorite brownie mix! I used a gluten-free mix, Krusteaz brownie mix. Feel free to use a regular brownie mix or make them homemade!
Chocolate Buttercream: You'll need softened unsalted butter, powdered sugar, and a good quality cocoa powder for this delicious frosting.
Peeps: Use yellow peeps! Find them at any local grocery store around Easter time. However, some places have them all year round now! Make sure you buy the yellow chicks, not the bunnies.
Chocolate Chips: Use your favorite regular-sized semi-sweet chocolate chips for this recipe. Feel free to use dairy-free/vegan chips. You could also use chocolate sprinkles if you desired!
Cake Pan: You will need 8-inch round cake pans, only one for this recipe. Using a circular pan gives the sunflower shape to the cake!
How to Make a Peeps Sunflower Brownie Cake Recipe
1. Grease your 8-inch round cake pan and line it with parchment paper. Prepare your brownie mix according to the instructions on the box. Pour brownie batter into cake pan and bake according to directions or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool fully.
2. For the buttercream frosting whisk together powdered sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl, and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric mixer. Turn up to medium-high speed and beat for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
4. With the mixer running on low speed slowly add in the powdered sugar/cocoa powder mixture, milk, and vanilla extract. Once combined, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 3 minutes until it has a nice consistency.
5. For the sunflower decoration, place the brownie cake on a serving plate once fully cooled. Frost the cake with chocolate buttercream and add the yellow marshmallow chicks around the edge of the frosted cake. Fill the center with chocolate chips. Slice and enjoy!!
QUICK TIPS
Thick buttercream: If the buttercream is too thick, add more milk one tablespoon at a time until it gets to the right consistency.
Storing: Cover in plastic wrap, store in a large airtight container, or pre-cut slices and wrap each individually in plastic wrap to store.
Brownies cool: Let the brownies cool completely after coming after the oven before frosting otherwise if the brownies are still warm the buttercream will melt off.
Frosting the cake: Frosting cake with an offset spatula to make it easier to spread the buttercream around. Also using a cake turntable to frost your cake makes it lots easier as well
Placing Peeps: When arranging the peeps on the cake, carefully place them in a circle on the edge of the cake. Make sure you do not squish the peeps.
Room temperature ingredients: Ensure all ingredients are at room temperature for the best results.
Slicing cake: Slice cake with a warm knife to get the perfect slice! Make sure you cut in between the marshmallow peeps to get a whole one on your slice!
When to eat: This cake is best served right after making it for the freshest bite. It is also yummy at room temperature after 2 days or if you like chill brownies, it is good in the fridge as well!
Homemade buttercream: This chocolate buttercream is so delicious and so worth making homemade! Feel free to use storebought frosting, but it will definitely not taste as good as this homemade recipe.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
• Can I make the brownies homemade? Yes! Feel free to use your favorite homemade brownie recipe!
• How do I store this cake? Store in a sealed container or wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature for up to 2 days or a week in the fridge.
• How should I serve this? Serve by cutting with a sharp knife in between each peep "petal". Serve on a plate and enjoy!
• Can I make this gluten-free or vegan? Of course! Use a gluten-free and vegan brownie mix to do so! To keep it vegan, you can use almond milk instead of regular milk for the buttercream. Plus vegan chocolate chips instead of regular milk chocolate.
• Where do I find peeps if I do not make this around Easter time? Some stores have yellow chick peeps all year round now, but you are guaranteed to find peeps on amazon any time of the year.
• Can I use a cake mix instead of a brownie mix? Of course! If you want to use a chocolate cake mix instead, you will need two 8-inch round cake pans instead of one. This will make two layers of cake, so you will need to make a double batch of chocolate buttercream as well. When cakes are fully cooled, frost the first layer then place the second layer on top and fully frost the cake.
More cute Easter recipes!
Gluten-Free Easter Bundt Cakes
Peep Bunny Cars with the Best Homemade Twinkies
Chocolate Easter Egg Nest Ding Dong Cake
Homemade Copycat Reese's Peanut Butter Easter Eggs
Easy Bunny Cupcakes with Marshmallow Ears
Quick & Easy Bunny Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
Chocolate Creme Eggs & Bacon Cupcakes
RELATED RECIPES
How to Make a Peeps Sunflower Brownie Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the cake
- 1 brownie mix, prepared according to package (I used Krusteaz Gluten Free Brownies
For the chocolate buttercream
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces powdered sugar about 2 ¼ cups
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 tablespoons milk
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
For the decoration
- 14 yellow marshmallow chicks I used PEEPS
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
For the cake
- Grease and line an 8-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Prepare brownie mix batter according to manufacturer's instructions. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake according to package directions or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool.
For the frosting
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and cocoa powder. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric mixer. Turn up to medium high and beat for 3 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- With the mixer running on low, gradually add the powdered sugar/cocoa mixture, milk, and vanilla extract. Increase to medium high speed and beat for 3 minutes.
- Note: If the frosting is too thick, you can add a little more milk. Just add one tablespoon at a time, then mix thoroughly until you get the consistency you like.
For the decoration
- Place brownie cake on serving plate. Frost the cake. Add the yellow marshmallow chicks around the edge and fill the center with chocolate chips. It's ready to serve. Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Notes
Nutrition
From My Original Post on April 3, 2020
My 17-year-old daughter made this little ray of sunshine of a cake. It's so cheerful, don't you think? And so simple to make! She used a gluten free brownie mix for the cake part but you could use a regular brownie mix if you wish.
This PEEPS Sunflower Brownie Cake is what I would call a "semi-homemade" recipe (as Sandra Lee says). The cake portion is from a mix but the frosting is homemade. I think it's perfectly fine to use a cake mix or brownie mix sometimes but I think it's always best to make the frosting homemade whenever possible. What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments below.
Wishing you all sunny days, starry nights, blue skies, and green lights. My granddaddy Sullivan used to always say that and I still love it to this day. He was from Savannah, GA and that is where my daughter got her name. I think he would be proud. Thank you, Savannah, for making us this lovely PEEPS Sunflower Brownie Cake!
Happy Baking y'all!
xo,
Lise
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