There's something about autumn that makes me want to bake. There's also something about baking that manages to stop me being in a vile mood. This week has been pretty autumnal and I've been pretty cranky, so it was only right that I spent last night baking.
My "go to" recipe for such times is Nigella Lawson's cream cheese brownies, from How to be a Domestic Goddess. Her recipe is beautifully written with a languid laziness: the eggs are "idly beaten" and the chocolate is left to "deliquesce". The cream cheese layer is a true revelation, all salty and sour and stabbing through the sweetness of the brownie.
I tweak the original recipe slightly by using golden caster sugar and a mixture of 85% and 70% chocolate. My final flourish is a black cherry jam glaze. If you really love cherries, you can add some canned sour cherries to the batter - just make sure that they are well drained. Alternatively, use Green and Black's dark chocolate with cherries.
These are best eaten when slightly cooled but still warm and gooey.
Ingredients
100g Quality 85% Dark Chocolate
25g Quality 70% Dark Chocolate
125g Unsalted Butter
2 Large Eggs
200g Golden Caster Sugar
1tsp Vanilla Extract
75g Plain Flour
Pinch of Table Salt
200g Chilled Philadelphia Cream Cheese or similar
2tbsp Cherry Jam
23cm square baking tin - buttered and floured
Method
1) Melt the chocolate and butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Whilst it is melting, beat together the eggs, sugar and vanilla. In another bowl, weigh the flour and add the salt.
2) When the chocolate and butter mix is nearly fully melted, remove from the heat and set aside for a short period. This will allow any remaining chunks to melt and for the mixture to cool slightly.
3) After a couple of minutes cooling time, add the egg mixture to the pan of chocolate. Mix well before adding the flour. Beat the mixture until glossy and smooth.
4) Pour half of the mixture into the pan then top it with 5mm thick slices of cream cheese (this is why the cheese needs to be cold). Pour the remaining half of the mixture over the cream cheese layer, using a rubber spatula to scrape out the bowl and to smooth and spread the mixture.
5) Bake for 20-25 minutes. The surface should have just begun to crack slightly, whilst remaining soft in the middle. Remove from oven and let the brownie cool in the pan.
6) Place a couple of tablespoons of cherry jam in a small saucepan and place the pan on a low heat. After about five minutes, the jam should have liquified. Brush the runny jam over the brownie's surface.
7) Slice into squares and enjoy!
Images © Jen Evans
This recipe and images originally appeared on Jen's blog, bookishbrunette.co.uk.