Most people, including myself, simply cannot help themselves when confronted by the prospect of this all-American delight and the human soul crumbles into defeat and a million eyes widen at the sight of a freshly baked batch of brownies. I’ve been cooking a few this week and my whole kitchen is filled with this heavenly tempting aroma. It’s often said that there is no such thing as a “bad” brownie, but the real beauty of the perfect brownie lies in the fact that it has to be both deliciously rich and surprisingly light. The best ones are truly memorable and the difference between an amazing brownie and a mediocre one largely boils down to the quality of the ingredients. While chocolate, butter, sugar, flour, and eggs, mixed together and baked in a pan might sound simple enough, there is a definite chemistry behind a great brownie recipe.
My first rule is to use the very best dark chocolate that you can find and the higher the cocoa percentage, the more intense the flavour. Look for a chocolate with a minimum 70% cocoa ratio. Secondly, good-quality, dark cocoa powder is also essential. “Natural” cocoa powder is typically sold unsweetened, and while it may taste bitter on its own, its natural acidity works with baking powder to help lighten baked pastries such as brownies while adding a balanced chocolate flavour. Avoid milky looking cocoa powder as its often treated with alkali which neutralizes the natural acidity in the powder, giving the cocoa a more mellow and smooth, less bitter flavour but you’ll lose intensity. Lastly, brownies are sensitive creatures and a few minutes too long in the oven and you’ll wave bye-bye to their delightful, soft, gooey centres. My advice is not to follow the baking time in any brownie recipe exactly and check them at least 5 minutes before the timer buzzes. If you do over bake them, don’t worry. You can use them in my Black Forest cake in a glass or cover them with chocolate truffle mixture before cutting or crumble them into vanilla ice cream. if the brownie really dry’s out, use as the base for a cheesecake. For something a little different…. try this white chocolate blondie recipe!
Espresso brownies with dark cherries and walnuts
Prep time: 30 mins
Cooking time: 30 mins
Ingredients makes 10 squares
- 200g unsalted butter
- 200g dark chocolate
- 250g light brown sugar
- 50g peeled walnuts, chopped
- 80g cocoa powder, sifted
- 65g plain flour, sifted
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 large free-range eggs
- Zest of 1 orange
- 150g fresh cherries, pitted and halved
- 10 coffee beans
Method
- Preheat the oven to 190°C
- Prepare an 18cm square, deep tin by lining with non-stick baking paper. Grind the coffee beans to a fine powder.
- Melt the chocolate & butter together in a bowl.
- Mix the eggs and sugar in a food processor. Slowly add the orange zest, baking powder, flour, coffee, and cocoa powder. Gently fold in the walnuts and the cherries.
- Transfer mixture to the prepared tin, and bake for 25 minutes.
- When cooked, leave to cool in the tin, before cutting into 10 bite-sized squares and serving with a big scoop of ice cream.
White chocolate & raspberry blondies
Ingredients: Serves 4
- 225g sugar
- 4 free-rang eggs
- 225g butter
- 150g flour
- 1tsp baking powder
- 225g white chocolate, chopped
- 150g fresh raspberries
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.
- Grease a 20cm/8in square cake tin with a little butter.
- In a bowl, beat together the sugar and eggs until pale and fluffy.
- Melt the chocolate & butter together in a bowl and add to the eggs. Mix well. Fold in the flour and baking powder carefully.
- Lastly, gently fold in the fresh raspberries.
- Spoon the blondie mixture into the prepared cake tin and shake gently until level. Transfer the tin to the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre of the brownies comes out clean. Set aside to cool.
Black Forest Cake in a glass
Everybody loves this classic dessert! Layers of chocolate sponge or brownie, cream and kirsch flavoured cherries provide the building blocks for this classic black forest gateau. I’ve layered mine into a glass and decorated with grated dark chocolate and fresh cherries, for a more striking aesthetic. This is the perfect dinner party show-stopper.
Ingredients: serves 6
Chocolate sponge cake:
- 250g butter
- 250g sugar
- 160g flour
- 1tsp baking powder
- 70g cocoa powder
- 4 free-range eggs
Filling:
- 1 tbsp kirsch liquor
- 75g morello cherry jam
- 250g fresh cherries, stoned
- 400ml whipped cream
- 3tbsp icing sugar
- 150g dark chocolate, grated
Chocolate sponge cake:
- Preheat the oven to 190°C/375F/Gas 5.
- Grease a 20cm/8 in loose-based sandwich tins and line the bases with baking parchment.
- Place the butter, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and eggs in a bowl and blend until smooth and thick. Spoon the batter into the prepared cake tin and spread it out evenly with a spatula.
- Bake for 25–30 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 5 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack. Take off the lining paper and leave the cake to cool.
- When the cake is cold, cut it into medium sized cubes.
For the filling, put the jam in a saucepan with the fresh cherries and Kirsch and place over a low heat. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until the jam has melted, and the cherries are beginning to swell. Leave to cool for 15 minutes.
To assemble the cake, place some of sponge cake cubes at the bottom of the glass. Add about 2 tablespoons of whipped cream and top with half of the cherry mixture. Add another layer of sponge cake cubes, whipped cream, and the cherry mixture. Finish with the remaining whipped cream, sprinkle the grated dark chocolate on top and garnish with fresh cherries.
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