Fudge Brownie with a Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Topping

 

An absolute embodiment of decadence. It's definitely one of these deviant products of perversive food cravings chasing you day after day... I'm not sure to what extent it was a particular taste or texture craving but for sure I felt like having a heavy, rich and moist brownie...AND cheesecake. So after few days of struggling with these sinful thoughts I blessed the perfect marriage between brownie and cheesecake with a dollop of holly dulce de leche. Amen.

If it comes to the recipe for the brownie part, it's actually a recipe for my (in)famous "Heart-Stealing Brownies" aka. "The Ultimate Tool of Seduction". I also have to admit that it's the only cake recipe I do know by heart. I've "performed" it for 7 (!) years now -- it's also the only cake I can make being blindfolded... ;) And I still remember the very first brownies I made - I ate the whole batch watching Woody Allen's "Manhattan Murder Mystery". Nota bene, Allen and Keaton go very well with chocolate... ;)

A distinctive feature of this brownie part covered with a cheesecake coat is that it's extremely soft and creamy, more like a melting in your mouth chocolate truffle than a typical brownie. Tastes best when really well refrigerated - for a nice contrast you can try it with a hot raspberry or blueberry sauce.

INGREDIENTS   &   METHOD

Brownie Part:

• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 150g butter
• 200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
• 2/3 cup flour
• 3 tbsp cocoa
• 50g walnuts/hazelnuts
• 50ml vodka

Cheesecake Part:

• 600g cream cheese
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tbsp vanilla essence
• 400g dulce de leche*

* boil a can of sweetened condensed milk for about an hour keeping it covered with water throughout the boiling process


Brownie Part:

1. Melt the butter on a medium heat - do not burn it :)
2. Take the melted butter off the heat and add 100g chocolate - let it melt on its own in a hot butter and then stir it all together. This way you do not have to melt the chocolate over hot water which takes a while and at the same time the risk of burning your chocolate is precluded as you melt it with no external heat source.
3. Beat the eggs with sugar until the mixture is straw-colored, soft and fluffy.
4. Add the melted butter +chocolate mixture to the beaten eggs - stir it together.
5. Mix the flour and cocoa together. Then sift it into the batter. (Unsifted cocoa very often lumps)
6. Stir the vodka into the batter.
7. Chop another 100g of chocolate and nuts. Add them to the batter.

Cheesecake Part:

1. Mix all the ingredients together :)

Baking:

1. Grease a 25cm * 25cm baking pan with butter.
2. Pour the brownie batter on the bottom and then carefully pour the cheesecake mixture on the top.
3. Bake it in 170 degrees Celsius for 30-40min. until the top is nicely golden.