Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- 1. Preparation is everything: First, preheat your oven to 180°C top/bottom heat. Find two springforms with approx. 24 cm diameter. Line the bottom with parchment paper - this makes removing the cake much easier later!
- 2. Get to the batter: Roughly chop the 200 g dark chocolate for the batter. Carefully melt it together with the 200 g butter over a water bath or at low temperature in a pot. Let the mixture cool briefly. Meanwhile, separate the eggs. Beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt until very stiff - this will give us a loose batter later. In another bowl, beat the egg yolks with the sugar and the mark of the vanilla bean until creamy and light. Now add the melted chocolate-butter mixture and stir it in briefly. Mix the flour with the baking powder and sift it over the wet ingredients. Carefully fold in! And now comes the egg white: Gently fold it into the batter, preferably with a spatula, so that the air remains in it. Distribute the batter evenly between the two prepared forms and smooth the surface.
- 3. Into the oven: The brownie layers should now bake for approx. 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Do the skewer test after 25 minutes - slightly moist crumbs should still cling to it, brownies should be nice and moist. Let the layers cool completely after baking before carefully releasing them from the forms. Then cut a thin "lid" off each layer to get a nice flat surface. Don't worry, you can wonderfully snack on the trimmings or use them for cake pops!
- 4. Creating the creamy filling: For the chocolate cream, finely chop the remaining 200 g dark chocolate. Put it in a bowl. Heat 300 ml of cream in a pot, but do not let it boil! As soon as it is hot, pour it over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for a minute so the chocolate can melt, then stir it from the center until a shiny ganache forms. This takes a moment, be patient. Refrigerate the ganache until it is spreadable - this can take a few hours or you can put it in the freezer (but be careful, stir occasionally!). When it is cold and firm enough, whip it briefly until creamy. Spread half of the cream on one of the bottom layers.
- 5. Finale and decoration: Whip the remaining 200 ml of cream until stiff. Spread this cream also on both bottom layers (i.e., ganache on one, whipped cream on the other, or ganache on both, as the recipe says, I personally like the combination of ganache and cream). Ah, wait, the recipe says whip the ganache and spread it on the bottom layers, then put the lids on. Okay, let's do it that way: Spread the whipped ganache on the bottom layer of one cake and place the cut-off lid of this cake on top. Do the same with the second cake layer. Now you have two filled cakes. Whip the remaining cream until stiff and spread it on both cakes. Carefully stack one cake on top of the other. Dust the surface with cocoa powder and garnish the cake with chocolate shavings or whatever your heart desires. Your masterpiece is ready!
Notes
Variations & Tasty Upgrades: Add a handful of chopped walnuts or pecans to the batter. Add some raspberries (fresh or frozen) to the batter or place them on the ganache layer. Dissolve a teaspoon of instant espresso powder in the melted chocolate-butter mixture for a mocha twist. Instead of ganache, you could use a cream cheese frosting or salted caramel. Try a white chocolate filling - it pairs wonderfully with dark chocolate.
My Best Tips: Don't overbake: Brownies should be slightly moist inside. Better to bake 2 minutes shorter than too long. Good chocolate: I can't say it often enough, but good chocolate makes a difference! Patience when cooling: The layers and the ganache really need to cool well, otherwise it will be a mess. It's better to leave the ganache in the fridge longer. Gently fold in the egg whites: This ensures lightness. Don't stir too much! Prepare in advance: You can bake the layers and prepare the ganache the day before. On the day of serving, you just whip the cream and assemble everything.
Storage: The Brownie Cake, well wrapped in an airtight cake keeper or container, will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It often tastes even better on the second day when the flavors have developed nicely.