Brownie with cream cheese, dulce de leche and walnuts

This chocolate brownie with a cheesecake layer, dulce de leche and walnuts is the ultimate autumn treat. The brownie is rich and fudgy, with a creamy layer of cheesecake, gooey caramel swirls and crunchy walnuts on top. It’s wonderfully indulgent and perfect with a cup of tea on a chilly autumn afternoon :). With chocolate, caramel and walnuts in every bite, it’s hard to stop at just one piece!

Ingredients for the brownie layer:

• 180 g butter
• 100 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
• 100 g dark chocolate (50% cocoa solids), chopped
• 3 large eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g caster sugar
• 100 g plain flour
• ½ tsp baking powder (2 g)
• a pinch of salt

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, then remove from the heat. Add the chopped dark chocolate to the hot butter and leave for 2 minutes. Stir until you have a smooth chocolate sauce. Leave to cool, or until just slightly warm, but not hot. The mixture should remain liquid.

Lightly beat the eggs with a hand whisk (do not whisk until fluffy). Add the vanilla extract and sugar, then whisk for a little while until thoroughly combined. Pour in the cooled chocolate mixture and stir with the whisk. Sift the flour and baking powder directly into the chocolate mixture, add the salt and stir just until combined.

Grease a 20 × 30 cm baking tin with butter and line it with baking paper. Pour three-quarters of the chocolate mixture into the tin and level the surface.

Ingredients for the cheesecake layer:

• 400 g full-fat or semi-skimmed curd cheese, passed through a fine sieve three times or Philadelphia cream cheese
• 100 g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 8 g vanillin sugar

Additionally:

• 150 g dulce de leche (tinned caramel)
• 80 g walnuts

All ingredients should be at room temperature.

Beat the curd cheese, sugar, eggs and vanillin sugar together in a stand mixer until smooth. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the brownie layer.

Spoon the remaining chocolate mixture over the top in little dollops, followed by dollops of dulce de leche. You can use a skewer to swirl the mixtures together, if you like. Scatter the walnuts over the top.

Bake at 180°C for approximately 45 minutes, or a little longer. The brownie will rise and crack, and the cheesecake layer should be set. Try not to overbake it, as the brownie should remain moist and fudgy. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Enjoy!