Blackberry-swirled cheesecake brownies | Good Food

Units:

200g blackberries
1 tsp cornflour
50g caster sugar

For the cheesecake filling

200g full-fat soft cheese
1 tbsp plain flour
2 tbsp caster sugar
(ideally white, rather than golden)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg white
(use the yolk in the brownie batter, below)

For the brownie batter

200g salted butter
300g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
(at least 70% cocoa solids)
3 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
200g light brown soft sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
100g plain flour
50g cocoa powder

Method

step 1
Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and line a 20cm square brownie tin with baking parchment. Tip half the blackberries into a small saucepan with the cornflour and caster sugar, stirring to evenly coat. Add 2 tsp water and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 mins, mashing the berries until they’ve softened and the juices have thickened into a glossy sauce. Push the sauce through a sieve and discard the seeds. Set aside to cool slightly.
step 2
Put all the cheesecake ingredients in a bowl and beat using an electric whisk until smooth. Set aside.
step 3
For the brownie batter, melt the butter and 200g of the chopped chocolate in a saucepan over a low-medium heat, stirring often until smooth. Remove from the heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.
step 4
Tip the eggs, egg yolk, brown sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt into a bowl, and whisk using an electric whisk for a few minutes until pale, thick and mousse-like. Rub a little of the mixture between your fingertips – if it feels gritty, continue whisking until the sugar has fully dissolved.
step 5
Sift the flour and cocoa powder over the egg mixture, then pour in the chocolate mixture and gently fold everything together using a spatula until fully combined with no pockets of flour or cocoa remaining. Stir through the rest of the chopped chocolate, then pour the batter into the prepared tin, spreading it out to the corners.
step 6
Spoon dollops of the cheesecake mixture over the brownie batter, followed by spoonfuls of the blackberry sauce. Use the handle of a spoon or a skewer to swirl everything together for a marbled effect. Press the remaining blackberries lightly into the surface. Bake for 25-30 mins, the brownies should look set but still have a good wobble in the centre (see tip). Leave to cool completely in the tin before slicing into squares, you can pop them in the fridge for an hr or 2 to speed this up, or if serving for dessert, cut into portions whilst still warm and gooey.