Brownie Layered Loaf

Perhaps I should dust off the cobwebs and say hello. Its been a little while since I've done any baking and what better way to get back in the groove than with brownies. 

Festive times are over and there are no recipes sitting in my drafts so I get to start this year of blogging completely fresh. My aim for the year is to only publish what I'm completely happy with and not to worry about posting to any particular schedule. Admin aside, this frees up more time for trying out new recipes and for eating burgers. Everyone's a winner.

Brownies are my thing. Sometimes I make them and they're great, and sometimes not so good. And when they're not so good, I freeze the batch and eat them warmed up with plenty of custard another time. Or I roll them into little balls, cover them in more chocolate and have them like brownie pop truffles. No brownies are ever wasted.

But this time I wanted to try something a little different. I couldn't decide between two things to bake so threw them both together and hoped for the best. This combination absolutely works. Ultra rich and fudgey brownie topped with a moist sponge, means you can have bigger slices!

B R O W N I E   L A Y E R E D   L O A F
(makes one 2lb loaf)

For the brownie layer:

140g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa)

50g unsalted butter

50g soft light brown sugar

1 egg

35g plain flour

For the cake layer:

120g unsalted butter, softened

90g soft light brown sugar

2 eggs

120g plain flour

1tsp baking powder

50ml whole milk

1. Heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a 2lb loaf tin with baking paper.
2. Gently melt the chocolate and butter over a pan of barely simmering water. Set aside to cool slightly. 
3. Stir in the brown sugar until it starts to dissolve. Gently beat in the egg and fold in the flour.
4. Pour into the prepared loaf tin, smooth the top and bake for 15 minutes until the top is slightly firm. Remove from the oven and leave to cool slightly.
5. For the cake layer, turn the oven down to 150 degrees.
6. Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
7. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
8. Fold in the flour and baking powder and stir in the milk. Gently pour on top of the brownie layer and bake for 40-45 minutes until golden and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. 
9. Leave to cool in the tin fully before taking out to serve.

---