Culinary Corner: Eric Lanlard’s Cream Cheese Brownies

Never have we ever tasted an Eric Lanlard recipe we didn’t love. The P&O Cruises Food Hero is better known as Cake Boy for a reason and it’s a tasty one. These cream cheese brownies are soft and squidgy slices of happiness that go best with a good brew. They’re the traditional brownie with a zesty twist. De-li-cious. Rainy days were made for baking up a storm.

INGREDIENTS

For the brownies

150g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
200g plain dark chocolate, broken into pieces
100ml freshly made strong espresso
250g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
3 eggs
100g plain flour

For the marbling mixture

150g cream cheese
60g caster sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C). Grease a 20cm (8in) square tin with extra butter and line it with baking paper.

Melt the measured butter and the chocolate in a large bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally and not letting the bowl touch the water. Stir in the coffee, then remove the bowl from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Stir the sugar, vanilla and salt into the butter-chocolate mixture, then whisk in the eggs, using an electric whisk. Beat until smooth. Sift in the flour and continue beating until glossy. Set aside.

To create the marbling mixture, beat the cream cheese in a bowl until smooth, then stir in the sugar, egg and vanilla.

Spoon the dark mixture into the prepared tin, then add the cheese marbling mixture and use a knife to cut through to create a marbled effect. Bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes. You may need to cover the tin with a piece of foil for the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Allow to cool on a rack before cutting into squares.