After making a few different Cosmic Brownie Copycats and concluding that the store-bought Little Debbie Cosmic Brownies are inimitable, I decided to put the colored candies I'd bought to good use and make a chocolate loaf cake that just pays homage to brownie. So here it is, the Cosmic Chocolate Cake, which bears likeness to its namesake only in that it is chocolate, has a shiny glaze and little candies on top.
All of the "cosmic" stuff aside, it's a great chocolate loaf cake. I was hoping I could make it as a stir-and-bake cake that you could prepare all in one saucepan and not use a mixer, but this recipe does require creaming the butter and sugar (thus, a mixer), and is worth the extra steps. But I wouldn't call this cake difficult at all, and the glaze is truly simple.
Thanks to brown sugar and sour cream, Cosmic Chocolate Cake has a very soft and not so crumbly texture. And the chocolate flavor is full-on. I used melted Dove Dark. We always have the red wrapped squares in the house, and they work well for most recipes that call for melted dark chocolate. In this recipe they're in both the cake and the glaze, and they are part of what makes the glaze so shiny.
Here's the recipe. The candies are Jumbo Non-Pareil's by Wilton. Michael's carries them. If you want to use candies that are more like the ones on Cosmic Brownies, you can order Wilton Rainbow Chip Crunch Sprinkles.
Recipe
Cosmic Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons natural cocoa powder
- 3 oz chopped Dove Dark Chocolate chopped (84 grams)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons very hot brewed coffee water okay too
- ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons flour 4.4 ounces/125 grams
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter softened (84 grams)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar 200 grams
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs plus 2 tablespoons lightly beaten egg
- ½ cup sour cream room temperature (114 grams)
- ⅓ cup regular or miniature chocolate chips (56 grams)
Chocolate Glaze
- 2 oz Dark Chocolate (Dove) chopped (56 grams)
- ½ tablespoon coffee or water
- ½ tablespoon corn syrup
- 1 ½ tablespoons heavy cream
- Colored Jumbo Non Pareils
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 ½ by 4 ½ inch loaf pan and line with a strip of parchment paper.
- Combine cocoa and chopped chocolate in a 2 cup Pyrex measuring cup or a small microwave-safe bowl. Pour very hot coffee over and stir until chocolate melts. You shouldn’t need to, but if for some reason the chocolate doesn’t melt all the way you can microwave it for 20 seconds and stir. Let cool
- In a second bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- With an electric mixer beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla on medium speed for about 2 minutes or until creamy and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, mixing about 30 seconds after each egg. Also add the 2 tablespoons of egg.
- Stir in the sour cream, then stir in the flour mixture and the melted chocolate mixture alternately, stirring by hand (or using lowest speed of mixer if you prefer) until blended. Add chocolate chips.
- Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until wooden skewer inserted into center comes out with few crumbs attached, 48 to 52 minutes. An internal thermometer should be over 200 and rising. Let cool completely.
- To make the glaze, chop the 56 grams of dark chocolate. Put ½ tablespoon coffee (or water), ½ tablespoon of corn syrup and 1 ½ tablespoon of heavy cream in a microwave-safe glass measure (2 cup Pyrex). Heat for about 30 seconds or until it begins to boil. Add the chopped chocolate and let sit for a minute, then stir until melted and smooth. Spread over top of cake. Sprinkle with candies.
Sonya says
Cool!!!!!!!!! I didn't get very into the Swiss Cake rolls, but they were tasty too!!!!!!! My other favorite were the Oatmeal Cream Pies, and I did compare a bunch of recipes a few years ago to find my favorite - that was fun!
Anna says
Sonya, I liked the Nutty Bars growing up and I still do! I used to like Swiss Cake rolls as well. My sister probably ate the brownies, but I don't remember.
Sue, I am sorry-not-sorry that Little Debbie wasn't a part of your life ;). Hope you try the cake!
Sonya says
Cute!!!! I'm not sure if I've ever eaten a cosmic brownie, but probably... my favorites are the Nutty Bars, and I don't think homemade could replicate those well either.... but this chocolate cake looks delicious just exactly as it is!
Sue says
That looks like a tasty cake!
Little Debbie treats were never a part of my life so I don’t even know what a Cosmic Brownie is. I’ve seen Little Debbie products in stores I just haven’t ever purchased them. My guess is any brownie you make homemade would be better than something that is in a shelf stable plastic wrapper. I know I sound like a food snob when I say that but I’m really just someone who grew up without that kind of thing so I never developed a taste for it.
I’d take a slice of this or any brownie you make any day over something made to taste like a product out of a box.