Raspberry brownie

Should you be on the hunt for the ultimate brownie, there is little doubt that your search will reveal a plethora of recipes all vying for the attention of the inspired cook.  What makes this particular recipe stand out from the bunch however is the addition of raspberries, which, like little red jewels, provide a tart contrast to the fudgy, rich chocolate base.

For a simple yet impressive dessert divide this mixture up amongst ramekins to make individual desserts (remember they will take less time to cook this way).  While the brownies are cooking make a quick coulis by placing roughly 1 cup of raspberries and a few tablespoons of sugar into a saucepan.  Cook over a medium heat until the raspberries break up and form a sauce.  When cooked, remove the brownies from the oven and stand for 5 minutes before inverting onto individual plates.  Top with a ball of vanilla ice-cream and then spoon over the raspberry coulis.

Ingredients

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• 115g butter
• 150g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp instant coffee
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen

Method

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• 1. Pre-heat the oven to 180ºC on bake. Grease and line a 21 x 21 cm square cake tin. Melt the butter and chocolate together. Mix well and add the sugar, cocoa, eggs, vanilla extract and coffee and mix until combined.
• 2. Sieve in the flour and baking powder and then fold into the egg mixture until just combined. Fold the raspberries through the mixture and pour into the greased cake tin.
• 3. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until the brownie is firm around the edges but still slightly soft in the centre.