Makes 12-16
Ingredients
185g plain chocolate (60-70 per cent cocoa solids), broken into small pieces
185g unsalted butter
1 tsp instant coffee (optional)
3 large eggs
275g golden caster sugar
85g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
50g white chocolate, roughly chopped
50g milk chocolate, roughly chopped
Equipment
25x20cm shallow baking tin, lightly greased and base-lined with baking parchment
1. Preheat the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Put the plain chocolate in a heatproof bowl with the butter and coffee, if using. Place over a pan of barely simmering water on a very low heat and leave until melted. Stir to blend together and take off the heat.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the eggs and sugar together, using either a free-standing mixer or a hand-held electric whisk, until thick, pale and quadrupled in volume. This will take about 5 minutes in a free-standing mixer, or 10 minutes with a hand-held whisk.
3. Fold the chocolate mixture into the mousse-like egg mixture. Sift in the flour and cocoa powder, then, using a large metal spoon, fold in very carefully so as not to lose the tiny air bubbles. Finally, fold in the chopped white and milk chocolate.
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4. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake in the oven for about 35 minutes, until the brownie no longer wobbles when softly shaken and the top is dark and shiny. Leave to cool in the tin.
5. When cold, carefully turn out on to a clean folded tea-towel to preserve the shiny top, then invert onto a board and cut into squares or triangles. These brownies can be stored for 4-5 days in an airtight tin, or for up to a week in a sealed container in the fridge.
Recipe taken from Cakes — River Cottage Handbook No 8 by Pam Corbin with introduction by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, published by Bloomsbury on Monday, March 14 at £14.99. It is available for £13.49 at timesbooks.co.uk
Text © Pam Corbin 2011