Fudgy cheesecake brownies recipe
A swirl of cheesecake topping gives these brownies a different look, and a delicious, creamy contrast to the dark fudginess beneath. Prefer a simple brownie? Just leave out the cheesecake topping and jump to step 8. And yes, the batter will give that shiny, papery crust we all love.
Cook's tip: Jane says: "A good-quality 70% cocoa chocolate is often used for baking for its intense cocoa flavour. But it can sometimes seem a little sour and overwhelm a family-style treat like a brownie. My preference is to use a dark chocolate of around 60% cocoa, or a half-and-half mixture of 70% and 50%. This reduces the cost a little, too."
Variations
Add different flavours at step 5, and leave out the cheesecake topping.
Classic Walnut Brownies: Fold 100g chopped walnuts into the batter.
Sour Cherry & White Chocolate Brownies: Fold in 50g dried cherries and 50g chopped white chocolate.
Peanut Butter Brownies: Warm four tablespoons of peanut butter in a pan, then spoon it over the raw batter and swirl in with a knife.
We also have a picture step-by-step guide for this recipe.
Ingredients
For the brownies- 200 g butter, plus extra for greasing
- 200 g dark chocolate, about 60% cocoa solids
- 4 eggs
- 300 g caster sugar
- 125 g plain flour
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 200 g full-fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Details
- Cuisine: English
- Recipe Type: Dessert
- Difficulty: Easy
- Preparation Time: 20 mins
- Cooking Time: 30 mins
- Serves: 8
Step-by-step
- Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan/gas 4) and grease a 23cm shallow square cake tin with a little butter, then line it with baking parchment.
- Make the brownie base first. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. While you wait, break the chocolate into pieces, then add them to the melted butter, and take the pan off the heat.
- Let the chocolate melt until smooth, stirring now and again with a spatula.
- Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Using a whisk, beat together until frothy and a little thicker, just for 30 seconds or so.
- Pour the melted butter and chocolate into the eggs and whisk to combine. Sift the flour, cocoa and salt into the bowl.
- Beat together using your (already chocolatey) whisk, until smooth and thick. Scoop about 4 tablespoons of the batter from the bowl and set aside, then scrape the rest into the prepared tin and smooth the top.
- Now make the topping. Put the cream cheese in a large bowl, add the egg, sugar and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and creamy.
- Spoon the cheese over the brownie batter in the tin, then spread it into a thin layer using the back of the spoon or a spatula. Spoon the reserved brownie batter over the cheesecake topping. Drag a skewer or the tip of a knife through the cheesecake layer to create feathery swirls.
- Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until the brownie has risen all over and jiggles just a little in the middle when you gently shake the tin. This is vital for a fudgy result. Leave to cool completely in the tin, then cut into squares. They’ll keep in an airtight container for several days.
Recipe taken from What to Bake & How to Bake it by Jane Hornby. Published by Phaidon, RRP £19.95.
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