Do you like your brownies to be cakey or fudgy? That’s the age-old question, and a hot topic amongst the Easy Food team here. Each is great for different occasions, but everyone has a preference.

Fudgy brownies have a higher fat-to-flour ratio than cakey ones; the fat comes from butter and/or chocolate. A cakey batch has more flour and relies on baking powder for leavening. It’s good to know which your recipe calls for, especially if you’re using the brownies as part of another recipe. 

Try these ultimate brownie recipes and judge for yourselves. Either way, you’re in for something delicious!

Fudgy brownies

Fudgey_Brownie Easy Food

Makes 9

190g butter, cubed
190g dark chocolate, chopped
3 eggs
275g golden caster sugar
85g plain flour
½ tsp salt
40g cocoa powder
50g milk chocolate chips
40g walnuts, chopped (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C/160˚C fan/gas mark 4. Grease a 20cm square baking tin and line with parchment paper.
  2. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Add the butter and chocolate and leave to melt. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Set aside and leave to cool slightly.
  3. Beat the eggs and sugar in a mixing bowl with an electric whisk on maximum speed for 3-5 minutes until the mixture is pale and doubled in volume. Gently fold in the smooth chocolate mixture until incorporated.
  4. Sieve the flour, salt and cocoa powder into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in.
  5. Fold in the chocolate chips and chopped walnuts, if using.
  6. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 25-30 minutes until the middle is set and the edges are just beginning to pull away from the sides of the tin. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before slicing.

Per serving: 332kcals, 19.3g fat (11.7g saturated), 40.4g carbs (30.8g sugars), 3.8g protein, 1.6g fibre, 0.271g sodium

 

Cakey brownies
Cakey_Brownie Easy Food

Makes 9

230g butter, cubed
125g dark chocolate, chopped
325g golden caster sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 eggs, beaten
180g plain flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp baking powder
60g walnuts, chopped (optional)

  1. Preheat the oven to 160˚C/140˚C fan/gas mark 3. Grease a 20cm square baking tin and line with parchment paper.
  2. Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Add the butter and chocolate and leave to melt. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool slightly.
  3. Whisk the sugar, vanilla and eggs in a mixing bowl until thick and pale. Fold in the chocolate mixture until incorporated.
  4. Sieve the flour, salt and baking powder into the chocolate mixture and fold in gently. Fold in the walnuts, if using.
  5. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 40-50 minutes until the top is crisp and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out mostly clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool before slicing.

Per serving: 464kcals, 26.9g fat (14g saturated), 52.5g carbs (36.6g sugars), 6.4g protein, 1g fibre, 0.303g sodium

Top tip: Be careful not to over-mix the batter once the flour is added! Over-working the batter will result in chewy, dense brownies.