Buttermilk "Brownies" from Living on Cookies

Buttermilk "Brownies" - made January 6, 2025 from Living on Cookies 

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

2 cups (400 grams) granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (225 grams) unsalted butter

1/3 cup (40 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup (240 ml) water

1/2 cup (120 ml) buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Chocolate Buttermilk Icing

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

3 tablespoons buttermilk

2 1/4 cups (250 grams) powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9 x 13 baking pan with foil and lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine butter, cocoa powder and water. Bring just to boiling over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour over dry ingredients.
4. Beat on medium speed until combined, scraping sides and bottom of bowl to keep mixture even textured. Add buttermilk, eggs and vanilla extract, beating on medium speed to combine, 1 minute. Pour into prepared pan.
5. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. 
6. Make the icing: once brownies are out of the oven, place the powdered sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer. In a medium saucepan, bring butter, unsweetened cocoa powder and buttermilk to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
7. Remove from heat and pour over powdered sugar. Add vanilla extract and beat until smooth, scraping bottom and sides of bowl to keep frosting even textured. Pour icing over the warm brownies and spread evenly.

I had to put the "brownies" in quotes as this is more like a chocolate cake than a brownie. Which is what I expected as it's made like a Texas sheet cake so I know it would be more cake than cakey brownies. I didn't make the ganache for it since I had so much frosting left over from the Buttermilk Texas Sheet Cake which I used instead. Overall, this was a good cake. Don't expect a brownie but it is slightly more dense than a regular cake. Still good though, no matter what you call it. For a more chocolate flavor, use the deepest, darkest chocolate you can find. Pernigotti used to be my go-to but I think they got bought out or don't have the US retail outlets they used to. For this one, I used the fair trade cocoa powder from Costco and it worked just fine.