UCB (Ultimate Chocolate Brownie)

There are hundreds of brownie recipes available and everyone has their personal preference.   I like mine heavy on the chocolate flavour, gooey and a touch of vanilla.

I have had the pleasure of teaching a German student in one of my business classes this year.  We have a cake day every two weeks where a student or I bakes and shares for the rest of the class.  For my week I made some chocolate brownies and Max has badgered me for the recipe ever since.

Max - Danke für eine großartige Schüler in diesem Jahr und ich wünsche Ihnen alles Gute für die Zukunft!


Ingredients

• Plain chocolate (preferably using one with 70% cocoa solids) - 400g

• Unsalted butter (for recipe) - 200g

• Unsalted butter (for greasing) - 10g

• Light muscovado sugar - 225g

• Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

• 3 large eggs, beaten

• Self-raising flour, sifted - 75g

• Cocoa powder, sifted - 25g

• Some additional cocoa powder for dusting


Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan oven) or gas mark 3.

2. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and stir until melted.

3. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, vanilla, beaten eggs, flour essence, flour and cocoa.

4. Using non-stick baking parchment, grease and bottom line a 20 cm/8" square cake tin, making sure you use one which is at least 5 cm/2" deep.

5. Place the mixture into the tin and level with the back of a spoon.

6. Bake for about 1 hour 15 minutes or until set to the centre on the surface, but still a little soft underneath.

7. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for 2 hours (DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO TURN IT OUT EARLY).

8. Turn out, dust with cocoa and cut into squares.


I personally think that brownies are best served a little warm but can be left to cool completely.  They are also great served with ice cream or custard.


Additions to the mixture can include pecans (about 150g); raisins (120g) or for indulgence some rum soaked raisins mixed with pecans (total weight 120g).  These are mixed in at stage 3.