Name: Little brownie cakes with fudge sauce
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 190 gm butter, coarsely chopped; 190 gm dark chocolate (60%-68% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped; 210 gm brown sugar; 3 eggs; 130 gm plain flour; 40 gm Dutch-process cocoa; ¼ tsp baking powder; 90 gm (½ cup) coarsely chopped milk chocolate; 40 gm slivered or coarsely chopped pistachio nuts, plus extra finely chopped to serve; Pistachio or vanilla ice-cream, to serve; Fudge sauce; 150 gm caster sugar; 170 gm dark chocolate (54%-58% cocoa solids), finely chopped; 140 gm liquid glucose; 20 gm Dutch-process cocoa, sifted; 20 gm butter, diced

Little brownie cakes with fudge sauce

In theory, you could share one of these rich chocolate cakes between two. But in reality? Well, that's a different matter.

Serves 8

Prep

20M

Cook

35M

Total

55M

These seemingly small cakes can easily be shared between two, depending on your tolerance for richness. That said, diehard chocoholics will have no trouble devouring the lot. Choose your audience – and portioning – accordingly.

Ingredients

190 gm butter, coarsely chopped

190 gm dark chocolate (60%-68% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped

210 gm brown sugar

3 eggs

130 gm plain flour

40 gm Dutch-process cocoa

¼ tsp baking powder

90 gm (½ cup) coarsely chopped milk chocolate

40 gm slivered or coarsely chopped pistachio nuts, plus extra finely chopped to serve

Pistachio or vanilla ice-cream, to serve

Fudge sauce

150 gm caster sugar

170 gm dark chocolate (54%-58% cocoa solids), finely chopped

140 gm liquid glucose

20 gm Dutch-process cocoa, sifted

20 gm butter, diced

Method

1.Preheat oven to 180°C, and butter and flour eight 10cm-diameter cake tins.

2.Melt butter and dark chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat, add sugar, then mix in eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Sift flour, cocoa and baking powder over mixture, add a pinch of salt and stir until just combined (don’t overwork the mixture or the brownie will be cakey). Stir in milk chocolate and pistachio nuts, reserving a little of each to scatter on top.

3.Divide among prepared tins, smooth tops, scatter with reserved milk chocolate and slivers of pistachio nuts. Scatter with a little sea salt and bake until set around the edges but still a little fudgy in the centre (20-25 minutes; a skewer inserted should withdraw with just a little mixture on it). Cool in tins.

4.For fudge sauce, stir sugar, chocolate, glucose, cocoa, butter, 1 tsp sea salt and 150ml water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until smooth, bring to a simmer and cook until sauce has a light syrup consistency (3-4 minutes). Cool briefly.

5.To serve, top cakes with ice-cream, drizzle with warm fudge sauce and sprinkle with finely chopped pistachio nuts.

Styling by Emma Knowles