praline

These Autumnal brownies start with my usual base of good quality chocolate, rye flour and browned butter, but I’ve added a salted maple pecan crumble (for want of a better word) into them for a nod to Thanksgiving (I’m based in the UK but we’re adopting Thanksgiving flavours and traditions more every year!).

Ingredients

200g pecans
4tbsp maple syrup, I used Billingtons Amber Maple
250g unsalted butter
250g good quality dark chocolate (70%)
3 eggs, 1 egg yolk
100g light brown soft sugar
75g caster sugar
large pinch of salt, plus more for finishing
100g rye flour

Method

Preheat the oven to 180c. Grease a large brownie tin and line with greaseproof paper.
Place the pecans in a dry pan and toast for a few minutes, then add the maple and a pinch of salt and toss to coat. Stir for a few minutes on the heat until the nuts are sticky then tip onto a piece of greaseproof paper to cool.
Once cooled, whizz the nuts into a rough crumb (it will be quite moist).
Roughly chop the chocolate and tip into a heatproof bowl. Place the butter in a saucepan set over a medium heat and once melted, up the heat and wait for it to foam and smell nutty. Once you reach this stage, pour it over the chocolate. Leave it to sit for a moment then stir together to form a glossy mix.
Meanwhile, whisk the eggs, yolk and both sugars until pale and voluminous (this is what gives you a glossy crisp top). Tip the chocolate down the side of the bowl and add the flour, then fold until everything is well combined.
Tip half the brownie batter in the prepared tin, then evenly distribute the pecan crumb on top, followed by the remaining batter. Sprinkle with salt and bake for 25-30 minutes. When they’re ready, leave to cool completely then slice up and serve.

Coffee cake is one of my all time favourites, but this spin on a classic is perhaps even better (I know, big claim). The cardamom hum in the sponge goes really well with the simple coffee buttercream, and the crunch of earthy pistachio praline rounds off the overall flavour and prevents it from being overly sweet. Make these for any occasion (you can fool people into thinking they’re fancy with the help of a piping bag and edible flowers) and they are sure to go down a storm.

Ingredients:

200g softened butter
200g soft brown sugar
3 eggs
200g self raising flour
pinch salt
8 cardamom pods, emptied and ground
3tbsp coffee granules mixed with 3tbsp boiling water
3tbsp milk

For the buttercream:

200g softened butter
400g icing sugar
2tbsp coffee granules mixed with 2tbsp boiling water

For the praline:

100g pistachios
100g caster sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170c. Grease and line a brownie tin (around 20x20cm).
Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy then add in the eggs one at a time, mixing well between each addition. Add the flour, salt and ground cardamom and fold in until well combined. Do the same with the coffee and milk.
Once your straightforward batter is ready, spoon into the tin and level off. Bake for 30-35 minutes until well risen and a skewer comes out clean when inserted. Cool in the tin.
While the cake is cooling, make the praline. Place the sugar and pistachios in a heavy bottom pan and allow the sugar to melt (don’t stir, just tip the pan to move the sugar around). Once it’s melted and golden, swirl the pan to coat the nuts in the caramel then tip onto some greaseproof paper and leave to set hard.
Now make your buttercream. Beat the butter until light then gradually add the icing sugar, whisking until very light. Add in the coffee and whisk again to combine. Once it’s streak free and smooth, pile into a piping bag ready to decorate.
Slice the cooled cake into nine squares (or larger/smaller pieces depending on your appetite!). Pipe the coffee buttercream on top in little kisses (or freestyle with rosettes/patterns using different nozzles). Break up the praline and roughly crush then sprinkle a generous helping on top of the buttercream.