Chocolate Brownies

Everybody loves a chocolate brownie, but do you like them fudgy, gooey or cake-like? This is a tried and trusted recipe in our house, and one I was given some years ago. It uses real chocolate instead of cocoa powder which gives a moist, fudgy and chewy brownie. So this is my basic recipe which you can customise by adding nuts or dried fruits of your choice.

300g unsalted butter

300g dark chocolate

5 large eggs

450g granulated sugar

200g plain flour (sieved)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 180ºC

Line a baking tin (or a lasagne dish like I did) with greaseproof paper - the ideal size is about 34cm x 25cm.

Sieve the flour and salt together.

Break the chocolate into a large bowl and sit it over a saucepan of simmering water.

Add the butter and melt the two together, stirring occasionally. When it's completely melted, take it off the heat.

Whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract in another bowl until creamy. Then add it to the chocolate mixture and beat to combine.

Finally, beat in the sieved flour and pour the mixture into your lined tin. Bake for 25 minutes or until the top has a crust on it that has just started to crack.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool for about half an hour before slicing into squares.

You should get about 20 depending how large or small you like your brownies.

Perfect served with a morning coffee or for pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.

Enjoy ...

Vanilla buttermilk cake

This is a moist vanilla sponge cake which can be molded and iced to suit any occasion. It's a firm mix so perfect for using in a multi-layered cake, a patterned cake mold, or as I did here, in two sandwich tins. I've used a chocolate 'frosting' this time, but in the past have had great success with strawberry jam in the middle and a vanilla buttercream icing on top. See my grandmother's cream layer cake for quantities.

Preheat the oven to 180ºC and line the bottom of two 20cm sandwich tins with greaseproof paper.

250g plain flour

125g unsalted butter

200g caster sugar

3 large eggs

200ml buttermilk

1½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp bicarbonate of soda

½ tsp salt

1½ tsp vanilla extract

Sieve the dry ingredients into a bowl.

Measure out the buttermilk and stir in the vanilla extract.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until pale and fluffy. Then add the eggs, one at a time, whisking carefully to make sure they are well combined. Now add the flour mixture bit by bit alternating with the buttermilk until you have a loose cake mix.

Divide the mixture between the two tins and bake for about 30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Lemon Syllabub

Syllabub is a dessert that has been around for centuries. Yes, it sounds fancy, but basically it's just alcohol and cream whipped together to make a soft mousse. It can be used as a topping for a trifle or a pavlova, but this 'everlasting' version is good enough to be eaten on its own with nothing more than an amaretti biscuit alongside!

According to this newspaper cutting from my mother's recipe book, "the syllabub originated in the 17th century when it was made with a bowl of cider, directly into which a cow was milked." This recipe uses white wine, brandy and cream!

juice and rind of 1 lemon

150ml white wine

2 tbsp brandy

70g caster sugar

300ml double cream

sprinkle of nutmeg

The day before, put the lemon rind and juice into a bowl with the wine and brandy. Give it a stir and leave overnight.

The next day, strain the lemon mixture into a large, deep bowl. Add the sugar and stir with a spoon until it has all dissolved.

Then slowly add the cream, stirring all the time. Now it's time to whisk, either with a balloon whisk or an electric whisk on a slow-speed. This will take about 10-15 minutes.

When it's ready, spoon into individual glasses and top with a shaving of lemon rind.

NB. This will keep for a couple of days in the fridge.