Cherry Brownie Recipe: A Traybake
When we first heard about pink ruby chocolate, it made us feel a little nauseous, and reminded us of all those ghastly fondant icings we were once so opposed to.
After a little education however, we realised it’s not a contrived colouring: it’s a naturally pink and fruity chocolate. We thought it was a fun way to add some colour to a brownie and ricochet off the cherry bomb of flavour.
TO MAKE THE BROWNIE
200g fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
1 heaped tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch)
350g dark chocolate, broken into small pieces
350g butter
280g caster (superfine) sugar
5 medium eggs
300g ground almonds
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
TO MAKE THE TOPPING
180g ruby chocolate
150g whole fresh cherries, pitted, or 25g (1oz) freeze-dried
5g pink peppercorns
GLUTEN FREE
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Photo Credit: Sam A Harris.
Recipe
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/320°F/gas 4 and line your 22 x 33 x 5cm baking tray.
To make the brownie, place the chopped cherries in a bowl with the cornflour (cornstarch) and stir to coat. This will help to thicken their juices when cooking. Set aside.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bain-marie. Once melted, pour into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer and add the sugar. Mix for a short while to allow the sugar to dissolve a little. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the eggs until the mixture becomes smooth, glossy and emulsified. If the mixture splits, add a splash of boiling water to bring it together. Add the ground almonds, cocoa and salt and mix until fully combined, then gently fold in the chopped cherries.
Transfer the mixture to your lined tray and bake for 35–40 minutes until the brownie is just set, but still has a little wobble in the middle. Leave to cool in the tray.
Once the brownie has cooled, you can make the tempered pink chocolate topping. Melt two thirds of the ruby chocolate in a bain-marie, stirring constantly. As soon as it’s melted, remove the bowl from the heat and add the remaining ruby chocolate to the bowl and stir to melt. Scatter the cherries directly over the top of the brownie, then use a fork to quickly drizzle thin lines of the melted ruby chocolate over the top. Before the chocolate sets, sprinkle over the pink peppercorns.
Best eaten cool. This will keep for 4 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Ruby chocolate is expensive and can be a little hard to find. White chocolate will look great and still taste good with the cherry flavour. Get your hands sticky and give this bake a go! If you fancy making more cakes like this, our book, BAKE IT, SLICE IT, EAT IT. has over 90 unbeatable recipes.
