Raspberry chocolate brownies

Erin’s chocolate brownie recipe I made recently was so good it’s all I think I ever want to bake again!  We had a girls night at our house this weekend so it was a great excuse to make them a second time – this time instead of white chocolate chips, I added a layer of frozen raspberries in the middle, and a chocolate fudge icing. Totally divine!

Ingredients

12 oz dark chocolate, chopped

12 oz unsalted butter, cubed

5 eggs

14 oz caster sugar

Seeds of 1 vanilla pod (or 1 tsp vanilla essence)

7 oz plain flour

1 tsp salt

12 oz frozen raspberries

For the chocolate fudge icing

4 oz dark chocolate, chopped

2 oz butter

2 tsp vanilla bean paste

7 oz icing sugar

To decorate

White chocolate stars

Freeze-dried raspberries

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C and grease and line a brownie tin.
2. Place the dark chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water.  Stir until melted and well combined.  Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Meanwhile, place the eggs, sugar and vanilla in the bowl of an electric stand mixer and beat together until thick and doubled in volume.
4. With the electric mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the chocolate in a steady stream until it is all combined.
5. Sift in the flour and salt and fold together with a large metal spoon.
6. Pour half of the mixture into the prepared tin and the cover with the raspberries.
7. Top with the remaining brownie mixture and bake for an hour or until the mixture is set in the middle.
8. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool.  
9. To make the chocolate fudge icing, place the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and stir until melted.  Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.  Add the butter and vanilla and beat until smooth, then gradually sift in the icing sugar and beat until smooth.
10. Once cool, spread with the chocolate fudge icing and decorate with white chocolate stars and freeze-dried raspberries.