Chocolate and Pumpkin Brownies

I really love brownies. Their wonderful texture, that they are always moist (unless we overcook them) and their incredible chocolaty taste.

The truth is that as I grow older I am looking for other tastes and not only chocolate which when I was younger was something I would never substitute anything for. Who knows why?

As sweet pumpkins are a particular favourite of mine (I still remember the sweet pumpkin pie of Alexia’s mother which she made for her name day every 30th of August) I thought it would be a great idea to make brownies with sweet pumpkin.

Of course I wasn’t the first person to think of this combination, this “wheel” had already been invented by the famous Martha Stewart years ago…Therefore based on her recipe, I created my own version and I believe I managed to make something really tasty..

Take a look and make it !

Eh..I should mention that I always have pureed pumpkin in bags in the freezer from my wonderful friend Irini.

And if you have noticed that in most of my cakes I have used caster sugar. Not just because I buy it like that but I put ordinary sugar through the multi-blender. It gives a better texture to my cakes…

Diffuculty: 1 of 3

Duration:15 mins and 50 mins baking

Serves:a battalion

Ingredients

250g Butter at room temperature

170g Dessert chocolate 65% cocoa thinly cut up

250g All purpose flour

1tsp baking powder

A little Cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp Salt

100g Caster sugar

50g Brown Caster sugar

4 Medium eggs

1 tsp Vanilla essence

400-450g Pumpkin puree

60g Sunflower oil

1 tsp Cinnamon powder

I/4 tsp Grated nutmeg

A baking tray 25-28cm round or 23cm oblong

Method

Preheat the oven to 170C fan forced.

Butter and flour the baking tray. Cut greaseproof paper to the size of the base of the baking tray and leave aside until late.

In the microwave or a Bain-Marie melt the butter and the chocolate together.

In a bowl mix together the flour and the baking powder, the cayenne and the salt.

In a large bowl mix together the sugar and the eggs and the vanilla with a whisk until fluffy. Put into this the mixture with the flour and fold in until fully mixed.

A tad more than half of this mixture should be added to the bowl with the melted chocolate and should be mixed in well.

To the rest of the mixture the pumpkin puree, the oil and cinnamon and the nutmeg should be added and mixed together well.

Take the two mixtures to the baking tray and the separate mixtures should be put into the tray in turn one on top of the other without any attempt to mix them together this should create two layers of chocolate and two of pumpkin.

With a knife we can make lines in the mixture to create a marbling effect to our cake.

Bake for 40-45 mins. If the baking tray is smaller we will need a longer baking time.. if it is larger we need less..Let the finished cake cool down completely on a cake rack. Cut into pieces and serve.