For some reason, my brain is struggling to put together something interesting to say for this blog entry. On the last one, once I started talking about doughnuts the words just poured out and I had a decent read in no time. Today though...today it's just not coming. As a result, I guess today's post shall be a bit on the short side since there clearly isn't much to talk about.
So anyway, at some point last week there was a birthday. The fiancé went up to Dundee to visit his friends and celebrate said birthday on Saturday. And since the Dundee bunch are one of my favourite groups of guinea pigs because they always appreciate any baking I send their way, I offered to bake something for him to take with him. It was a great excuse to try out a recipe I had been eyeing up in a recipe book I got for my birthday last year from my lovely sister. It just looked so cool, okay? I was terribly attracted to the photo as I loved the bright green against the dark brown. So awesome! The fact that it is chocolate and mint was a bonus as that is a well liked combination amongst this group and the fiancé.
The base is pretty easy. It's a brownie. Brownies are not that hard. Oh, but the other layers. The other layers are ganache! As we all know, ganache is one of my nemeses! And true to its nature, the ganache was evil because it split on me, as it always does. Why is something with only two ingredients so hard for me to make? Well, in part I think it's because I can be lazy and don't chop up the chocolate as finely as I should. In all honesty, I don't chop it at all. I just break it into its squares and leave it at that. Consequently they are too big to completely melt before the cream has cooled. So I then end up trying to run extra heat through and everything splits. Which happened and the mixture was looking funny and lumpy and oily and not beautiful and smooth. BUT! I have learnt many things since starting this blog and one was that the oil is the cocoa butter splitting away and that this usually happens if something gets too hot. I also learnt that you can get it to reincorporate! So I threw the leftover cream and some milk into the mess and whisked the hell out of it! And you know what? It worked! I saved it. It became beautifully smooth and perfect and you have no idea just how pleased I was.
And it was well worth the effort. These things were loved by everyone who had one and they were scoffed! The poor fiancé was even being introduced to people as 'the fiancé of the person who made the cake'. That amuses me. And it's nice to have one's baking appreciated.
Recipe - adapted from Home Sweet Home
Makes 15-20 pieces (depends on how big you want to cut them)
Brownie Base:
- 200g/7oz dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
- 200g/7oz butter
- 250g/9oz icing sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 115g/4oz plain flour
- 250ml/9fl.oz double cream
- 1kg/2lb 3oz white chocolate
- 2 tbsp peppermint extract
- Green food colouring
- 125ml/4.5fl.oz double cream
- 270g/9.5oz dark chocolate
- Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3 and grease line a 23 x 32 x 5cm (9 x 13 x 2inch) baking tin with baking parchment.
- Melt the dark chocolate for the brownie base in a heat proof bowl placed over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure to not let the water touch the bowl. Once melted, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, beat together the butter and icing sugar until it is smooth and creamy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating in after each addition.
- Add the flour and mix to combine.
- Add the melted chocolate and stir in until evenly incorporated into the batter.
- Pour into the prepared tin and smooth out so the batter reaches the edges and is of even thickness.
- Bake for about 35 minutes, or until a light crust has formed on the top.
- Allow to cool completely inside the tin.
- Make the ganaches whilst the brownie bakes. For the mint ganache, chop up the white chocolate and place into a medium sized bowl.
- Bring the double cream to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, and then pour through a sieve into the bowl of white chocolate.
- Leave the chocolate to melt on its own and then stir until the mixture is smooth. (If the ganache splits, do not panic! Add a little bit of cream or milk to the ganache and then whisk the hell out of it! Using an electric hand whisk will be quicker and easier but keep beating until the mixture reincorporates the cocoa butter and smooths out. It will happen, just be patient.)
- Add the mint extract and food colouring and beat until evenly distributed and smooth.
- Cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up.
- For the chocolate ganache, chop up the dark chocolate and place into a medium sized bowl.
- Bring the double cream to a gentle simmer in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally, and then pour through a sieve into the bowl of dark chocolate.
- Leave the chocolate to melt on its own and then stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Cover with clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least an hour to firm up.
- To assemble, remove the mint ganache from the fridge and give it a quick stir.
- Spread the mint ganache evenly over the top of the cooled brownie base, cover with clingfilm and put in the fridge to chill for 30-60 minutes.
- Once firm, remove and repeat with the chocolate ganache.
- Chill for at least 2 hours, or overnight, before serving.
- Remove from the tin and cut into desired sized pieces.
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