The BROWNIE Battle

Cakey, or Fudgy?

That's the question that we're asking ourselves in today's recipe!

As you might know, preference is a hella thing.

You got your classics ;

Cakey Vs. Fudgy brownies
Ketchup drizzled over fries Vs. Ketchup served aside the fries
Love or Hate fresh coriander (cilantro)
Warm Vs. Cold milk
Rolling your spaghetti vs. Cutting them in manageable pieces

Yada, yada, yada... These are just a few examples which can show you that;

a) food preference brings people closer on a social group level

b) how diverse modern food preference is

c) how culture, the place + surroundings, and your upbringing can affect your choices

As I am sure that most of these comparisons signify travesties to you, at least the ones which are opposites of what you prefer, they still exist - and for a reason!

I personally think it's a crime to cut up spaghetti. Or, drizzle fries with ketchup.

BUT, I still want to try, and explore as many options as I can.

Let me give you a slight background on the idea for this showdown.

My boyfriends birthday was this Saturday, so I asked him what kind of cake he wanted.

He expressed the wish for brownies. In particular, he requested them to be chocolatey, fluffy, and airy. At first, I was slightly confused, since I automatically associate brownies to be fudgy and dense. So, I started to explore which ingredients could be altered, that have a direct effect on the texture of the brownie.

Traditionally, brownies are composed out of 5 main ingredients;

Chocolate, butter, sugar, cocoa, eggs and flour. By playing with the ratio of these, you can adjust them to fit to your liking. The core ingredients which always stay the same are sugar, cocoa, and eggs. However, if you want your brownie to be more chewy, substitute with brown sugar.

As I found out, it's all about the ratio of fats (so the butter and chocolate) and flour.

A fudgy brownie will need more fat and less flour, but the cakey brownie will use less fat, more flour, and a rising agent such as baking powder.

Check out the recipes and compare yourself!

FUDGY BROWNIES (makes 9 big squares)

170g dark chocolate, chopped or broken up into small pieces (I used 70% cocoa)
115g unsalted butter, cut up into cubes
300g caster sugar
3 eggs, used at room temperature
30g cocoa powder ( I used Dutch processed Cocoa powder)
80g flour, sifted
pinch of sea salt

CAKEY BROWNIES (also make 9 big squares)

115g dark chocolate
60g unsalted butter, cut up into cubes
300g caster sugar
3 eggs
30g cocoa powder
195g flour, sifted
5g baking powder, sifted into the flour
pinch of sea salt

As you can see, the only difference is the baking powder, and the ratio of fats to flour.

The method of making these stays the same - just throw in the baking powder at the same time as the flour. It's also a pretty easy one, since you only need a pot of water, a metal or glass bowl, spatula and a whisk, and a baking pan. I recommend using 20 x 20 cm dimensions or something in that range. The height you achieve for these as the end result is just right!

Let's crack on, shall weeee?

Fill a pot with a few inches of water and set it on a medium heat.

Use a bowl which will fit on the top of that same pot, but watch out so that the bottom doesn't directly touch the water. Set the chocolate and butter into the bowl, and melt until you get a glossy liquid chocolate mixture.

When your chocolate is done, remove it from the pot, and wipe the bottom of the bowl with a kitchen towel. This is important since the remained of the condensed water drops could crack your chocolate mixture.

Change from a rubber spatula to a whisk, then add in a pinch of salt, and the sugar.

The sugar will help to cool down the chocolate, so that you can add in your eggs without making a scramble. Follow up with your eggs, adding one at a time, and whisking vigorously to fully incorporate before adding the next one. Follow up with the cocoa powder, whisk again, then switch back to your spatula. Add in your flour (and baking powder if you're making a cakey brownie) and gently fold through.

So, don't mix it in, but rather turn the bowl, while simultaneously pushing the spatula into the bottom of the mixuture, followed by folding the bottom onto the top. Repeat until all the flour is incorporated.

Grease your baking pan with some butter, and cover with baking paper. Leave out a few centimetres of the baking paper, on the sides, so that it's easier to remove once it's baked. Pour your brownie mixture into the pan, then bake in a preheated oven at 180°C!

The Fudgy brownie is baked for 35 - 40 minutes, and the Cakey one for 30 - 35.

Test to check by poking the centre with a toothpick, or a skewer - if it's done, it should come out clean!

I also had some leftover white chocolate, so I chopped it up and added it into the fudgy brownie. You can add anything you prefer to both - nuts, dried up fruits, chocolate chips/ chunks, you name it.

Fudgy Brownie w/ white chocolate chunks

Wait for them to cool down for approximately 15 - 20 minutes.

Yes, I know its hard, BUT - it will be much easier to cut them if you do so!

Cut into 9 squares with a hot knife, wiping in between cuts, and serve while they're still warm. If you wanna be extra cheeky. add some vanilla ice cream, and a drizzle of caramel sauce on top :)