Cakey Brownies (revisited)

As I mentioned in my previous brownie attempt, while the last batch turned out OK, it wasn't what I was looking for. After some further research (read: more watching TV), I reworked my procedure and modified the recipe slightly, with a significantly improved result. It's worth noting that I remain steadfastly loyal to my base recipe simply because a large part of this experiment is for me to determine exactly which ingredients have which effects. By keeping as many variables as I can static between attempts, I'm gaining great insight into the "why" of my results, which has thus far proved invaluable, even with only two attempts.

Random ramblings aside, my intent with this recipe was to fix the flavor (less sweet, more chocolate), reduce cakiness a bit, and improve moisture (last batch was rather dry, plus crunchy topping). I feel that I accomplished each goal, and while the recipe is still not quite there yet, it's definitely improving with practice.

Software:
1/2tsp baking powder
3/4c natural cocoa powder
2/3c butter, melted (modified from softened)
1/2c cold milk (modified from hot water)
2c white sugar
2 eggs
1 1/3c all-purpose flour
1tsp vanilla extract
1/4tsp salt

Hardware:
Still used stand mixer with paddle attachment
Mixed dry in separate bowl first

Mix the eggs for a few moments on medium speed in the mixer. Once they are blended together and the mixture is somewhat lightened, add the milk on low speed. After a few moments, slowly add the dry mixed ingredients, still on low (I stayed on low for the remainder of this recipe, learning from my previous results). Once the dry ingredients have mostly mixed in, slowly add the melted butter and let it mix for about 5 minutes. The final batter should look like this semi-blurry image (stupid mixer):

You may notice that it still seems a bit fluffy. This is fine, as the recipe will probably be adjusted in the next draft to compensate for this.

Pour and spread the batter evenly into a 9x9 metal pan (I prefer metal for brownies, but glass or ceramic will also work in a pinch). As shown below, after the batter has been spread in the pan, it looks a bit less fluffy.

Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with only a slight brownish tinge at the bottom.

These brownies sliced a lot better than the last batch since the top wasn't nearly as crunchy.

Lessons learned:
Lower speed definitely helped, and I think mixing the ingredients in a different order made a significant difference. These brownies were almost right, but still slightly too fluffy; it comes across more as "devil's food" cake than cakey brownies (a fine distinction, but I feel that there is one). Potential changes? I suspect next time I'll revert back to using baking soda, and I may add another egg. Moisture was perfect for this version, so I probably won't change much.