Even without the lush creamy topping, these brownies would be tasty and fudgy. But with the topping….Mmmmm, great combination.

Makes: 16

Level: Easy

Time: About an hour to bake the brownie block. Then cooling and cutting time. Around 30 minutes to mix and add the topping.

Use: A 20cm/8” square brownie tin, ideally with a loose bottom; an electric hand-held mixer or stand mixer.

Ingredients for the brownies

Cooking spray or butter
225g finely chopped dark chocolate
125g unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
125g caster sugar (white or golden)
115g light brown sugar
3 large eggs
2 – 3 tsp instant coffee powder*
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp fine salt
60g plain flour
¼ tsp baking powder

* N.B. If you only have coffee granules, grind or rub them into a powder before using in the mixture.

For the topping**

150g – 175g mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
Around 200ml double cream
50g – 65g icing sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 – 2 tsp instant coffee powder*

**N.B. These measurements allow flexibility depending how sweet and how thick you want the topping. Just make sure it’s of a good consistency for piping if that’s what you intend.

Method

1. Heat the oven to 190°C / Fan 170°C / 375°F / Gas 5. Grease and line the bottom and sides of the brownie tin, with parchment paper.

2. Place the chopped dark chocolate and butter in a medium/large bowl over a bain marie. Heat and stir until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.

3. Whisk in the two sugars until combined. Whisk in 3 eggs one at a time. Whisk in the instant coffee powder, vanilla extract, and salt until smooth.

4. Stir in the plain flour and baking powder until combined and no streaks of flour remain. Transfer to the brownie tin and spread into an even layer.

5. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes. The edges should look firm and well-baked and the centre should have a slight wobble. Let the brownie block cool completely in the tin.

6. For the topping, beat the mascarpone and the cream with a hand mixer in a medium bowl on medium speed until soft peaks form. Beat in the icing sugar, vanilla extract, and instant coffee powder until slightly stiffer peaks form.

N.B. If you make this while the brownie block is cooling you have the option of putting the topping in the fridge for a while (or even in the freezer briefly) to help it thicken prior to use.

7. Carefully invert the brownie block out of the tin onto a work surface or board. Cut into pieces. (I recommend using a wetted blade, wiped clean after each cut.) Separate each piece slightly on the board.)

8. Spread or pipe the filling over the brownies. (The photos below show that I actually put the brownies into a tin before piping. This worked quite well and also enabled me to put the tin into the fridge overnight as I was transporting it to church the next day for after our morning meeting.)