I’m not sure if this is a cheesecake or a dessert but either way it’s completely delicious. A soft chewy chocolate brownie which would be good enough on its own, layered with a a thick peanut-butter cream cheese layer then topped off with a chocolate and nutella ganache. The saltiness of the creamy peanut layer really helps cut through the richness of the brownie and the topping. If you are a peanut and chocolate lover then this is the dessert for you. The brownie recipe is from David Lebovitz and is considered to be one of the best brownie recipes around. I will definitely be using it again next time I make my brownies.

Ingredients

Brownie

8 tablespoons (115 g) unsalted butter, cubed

2 ounces (60 g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped.

1 cup (200 g) sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup (75 g) nuts, chopped

1/4 cup (25 g) chocolate chips

1/4 cup (35 g) flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Peanut cheesecake layer

200g of cream cheese

5 heaped tablespoons of peanut butter

200ml of cream (whipped until thick)

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract (optional)

Nutella Ganache

3 tablespoons of Nutella

100g of milk or plain chocolate

100ml of cream

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC.) I decided to bake my brownie in the same pan I was planning to serve it in. So line an 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with baking paper, leaving the overhang over the rim of the pan. This is so you can remove the brownie layer after it’s done.

2. In a medium saucepan set over very low heat, melt the butter and the chocolate, stirring frequently, until the chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove from heat and stir in the sugar, then mix in the eggs and the vanilla extract.

3. Stir in the nuts and cocoa chips, then the flour and salt. Scrape the mixture in the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until the brownies feel just-set in the centre. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, lift the brownies out of the pan by grasping the baking paper. Peel off the paper then put the brownie layer back into your serving dish.

4. Make the cheesecake layer by mixing together the peanut butter, vanilla, and cream cheese until smooth and combined. Then fold in the whipped cream until thoroughly mixed. Then spread this layer over the brownie and pop it into the fridge to set whilst you make the ganache.

5. To make the ganache put the chocolate, cream and Nutella into a glass or metal bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water. Stir until all the chocolate and Nutella have melted and you have a thick glossy chocolate sauce. Take the bowl off the heat then stir for a minute or two to help it cool, then pour over the peanut cheesecake layer. Put the whole think back in the fridge for at least 3 hours to set. When its done, cut into slices and serve or eat it straight from the dish with a big ass spoon a la fat girl. Voilà the peanut butter brownie cheesecake, the deliciousness of two desserts combined into one super dessert.

This is why I am fat. Recipes like this which I just cannot resist. I’m never going to be slim, I just love food far too much (more than being slim anyhow). The second I saw a picture of these babies I knew I had to have them. I wasn’t sure if the taste would live up to the picture but oh my god these were cramazing (that’s crazy amazing to those of you unfamiliar with my lingo). To be fair though how could they not be, with pedigree parents like the cookie and brownie its pretty obvious that their babies are going to taste delicious too. Throw  a Reeces peanut butter cup inside that baby and you have got food porn of the highest caliber  The best part is they are so easy to make! I made my own cookie dough, but you could totally use one of the pre-prepared mixes. This is baking at its most basic but throwing 3 magic ingredients together to come up with something insanely good.

Ingredients

12 Reeces peanut butter cups (I also tried some with Rolos)

1 pack of brownie mix (Tous le jours brand)

Cookies

1 stick of butter

100g of white sugar

50g of brown sugar

60g of chocolate chips

1 egg

150g of flour

1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda

Directions

To make the cookie dough, preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Cream together the sugar and butter until its light and fluffy. Next add the egg  and mix in the chocolate chips. Then Stir in the sifted flour and baking soda. Mix together until the dough has formed. In a separate bowl make the brownie mix according to the instructions on the back. On my box you just add water.

Grease a muffin tin with a little butter. Place a a tablespoon of cookie dough into each section and press down with your fingers so it covers the bottom layer. Place a Reeces peanut butter cup face down. Then top with a tablespoon or two of  brownie mix.

Bake in the oven for about 12-20 minutes or until the brownie is cooked. Allow the brownookies to cool completely before removing from the pan if you want them to stay intact. Enjoy with a cold glass of milk or a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, repeat until your jeans no longer fit you or until they have all gone. Voilà the easiest and tastiest baked treat ever.

My bestest friend in the whole wide world turned 30 last week. To celebrate this momentous occasion I made a sinfully decadent dessert in her honor.  Sadly for her and my waist line we are living on different continents so she will not actually get to eat any of the trifle but I know she appreciates the thought. This is no ordinary trifle you would have on a Sunday afternoon, this a celebration trifle. So I made it in gigantic proportions, Rachel would have wanted it that way. So there’s nothing left for me to do but man up and plow my way through several pints of this sinful sweet. I’m just that good of a friend. You could also make smaller portions of it like I showcased above if your friends have smaller appetites than mine. Happy Birthday Rachel, this one is for you!

Ingredients

Brownie Base

1 box of brownie mix

100g white chocolate chips

100g milk chocolate chips

2 tablespoons of peanut butter (optional)

Chocolate custard

6 egg yolks

1 egg

75g white sugar

25g of flour

4 teaspoons of corn flour / cornstarch (I got mine at the bakery mart)

500ml of milk

1 tablespoon of Vanilla syrup

A few drops of vanilla extract (you can use the extract, the syrup or a vanilla pod)

150g of milk chocolate

Topping

1 pint of whipping cream

Grated chocolate for decorating

Directions 

To make the brownie I just used a regular box which I pimped up a bit, full directions are in my Brownie post. If you want an even easier option you could just use some muffins or regular chocolate sponge, however I think the brownie makes it extra special and indulgent. Make the brownie mix according to the directions, (On the Tous le jour box you just add water and mix in a bowl). Mix in the chocolate chips along with the peanut butter if you’re using it. Stir to combine everything then transfer to a cake tin or if you don’t have one a disposable foil dish you can buy anywhere. Cook in the over for 15 – 30 minutes depending on how you prefer it (gooey or cakey). If you do not have an oven this brownie can also be cooked in the microwave for 3-4 minutes.

To make the chocolate custard I followed Raymond Blancs recipe for creme patissiere and just made a few small changes. Whisk your egg yolks and egg with the sugar until it has become a very pale yellow. Whisk in the flour and corn flour until it has combined then set aside. Heat the milk and vanilla on a low heat until it has just started to boil then take it off the heat and whisk for 30 seconds. Slowly mix the hot milk into the yolk and flour mixture until it has combined then pour it into a saucepan. Put the custard on a very low heat and whisk it continuously until it begins to thicken. This will happen all at once so make sure you keep an eye on it or it will curdle. Once its thickened into custard you can remove from the heat and stir in the chocolate until you have lovely chocolate custard. Sprinkle icing sugar on the top to stop a skin forming as you wait for it to cool.

Pour the custard on top of the brownie mixture and allow to set. Whip the cream until it has thickened and put it on top of the custard once it has been refrigerated. Top with chocolate sprinkles. You can make one giant trifle or lots of mini ones, its up to you. However only the large one will satisfy my friends lust for desserts. Voilá my celebration chocolate trifle, best dessert ever!

I’m always looking for a new place to brunch and am very lucky that there plenty of options in my area. Indigo is located less than 100 meters from my house, but until now we have always shied away from paying them a visit. We walk past it several times a day but it just doesn’t seem particularly inviting. From the outside it just looks so drab and dreary and they have these hideous old curtains festooning the windows, it just kind of put us off. However I had always heard good things about it from my friend who used to live in the area. So in the end I finally managed to convince Niall that we needed to give it a try. I was very glad we did, bringing to mind that trusty old phrase never judge a book by its cover.

Once you get inside the place looks much better, they have a big counter with a nice big board behind it listing all their sandwich options , the restaurant opens up around the corner into a cosy little nook with lots of tables and a lovely mural painted on the wall giving a the cafe a hippy chic kind of vibe.

The menu is vast with plenty of options, almost too many really. We opted for our usual sandwich and eggs benedict, the perfect brunch combination.

The sandwich came first, we chose the basil pesto, mozzarella and chicken (9,000) it comes with a choice of french fries or salad but we were served up both, even though we only chose the chips.  I have to say the sandwich was pretty damn good. Served up in a lovely large brown roll, you can also have it in a bagel.  The bread was very soft and tasty. There was mounds of chicken, this was a very well filled sandwich. The chicken was that shredded kind which I personally enjoy. The sandwich was filled to the brim but was still very easy to eat, hats off to whoever made it as that sometimes a problem with big ones. The flavor of the pesto came through nicely and you could certainly taste the mozzarella. I would have liked a little bit more sauce on it, but I had mayo on hand from my chips and that did the job nicely. I’m certainly looking forward to trying some of their other sandwiches if that one was anything to go by, we actually had a bit of a disagreement on choosing which one to get because there were so many good options.

Our other choice was the eggs benedict (14,000). If you are an avid reader of my blog, you will know I find this a compulsory dish on a brunch menu. This was was pretty decent too. The eggs were perfectly cooked and had a great taste (better than the ones at T.G brunch). The hollandaise was rather thick and needed just a little bit more vinegar to zing it up a bit, although I haven’t found a great hollandaise anywhere yet. This was was almost like putting egg yolks on to eggs, certainly not bad but just missing that lightness that you need. The benedict comes with a choice of ham or bacon, since I don’t like ham I chose the bacon, which I am becoming increasingly fond of. It was that crispy chewy american kind, which I find easier to eat than the English version, although I’m sure many of you would disagree with me. It came with a side salad, which offered a lightness in contrast to the richness of the eggs and bacon. Although I think I would prefer more traditional breakfast accompaniments, mushrooms, asparagus or chips, if I’m eating eggs ben then I like to go all in.

We had had our fill and were on our way out when I spotted the dessert counter. I hummed and hawed for quite a while over my choice. In the end I  thought it as very unfair to make a girl chose between a chocolate brownie (4,500)and a slice of red velvet cake (5,000) so I got them both (I’ve never been one to deny myself). The Butter chocolate chunk was sinfully rich, with thick topping on the cake. This was almost too much to eat in one go so i nibbled at it throughout the afternoon. I will certainly know where to go the next time I need a chocolate fix. The red velvet cake was also divine. I was a little disappointed when they cut into it as I thought they were a bit stingy on the filling. However once I started eating it I found my fears were groundless. There was plenty of topping to go around. The sponge was beautifully moist and I have high hopes of one day making a cake of this caliber myself. I tried to savor this cake but it was just too good and it was devoured rather quickly.

I really enjoyed my brunch at Indigo and will certainly be back for more of their sandwiches and red velvet cake but I still think how easily we could not have gone there and instead headed over the bridge and gone to The bakers Table with its ever inviting interior. Indigos had been in Hae Ban Chon a long time and has clearly stood the test of time thanks to its great menu. However its a neighborhood with a high turnover. Looks are important these days and there are far many more attractive options on this street. I think a makeover could really boost their business, it would certainly make me much more likely to come in.

Indigo is located in HaebangCheon. Take a train to Noksapyeong station (line 6) . Walk straight out of exit 2 for about 200 meters and take the first left and walk straight along the road with all the kimchi pots. Indigo is on your right just opposite the shop.