Looking for the perfect chocolate dessert which comes together in minutes and satisfies the most? Look no further, this is it! Serve it warm from the oven, and it is a chocolate volcano-type British ‘pudding’; let it cool and set, and it is a super-rich brownie. Do not let its small tray size fool you, each bite of this cake is seriously intense! Keep portions on the smaller size — trust me, I know from experience 😉 !
This is a recipe I’m inordinately proud of; not because I created it, I didn’t — this is a classic Jamie Oliver creation, he is all about keeping it simple yet delicious. I’m proud, because all of my years as a Kosher cook have paid off.
Let me explain: I look at all recipes with a ‘Kosher eye,’ meaning how many ingredients do I need to swap or leave out all together to make it suitable for my home? It’s so second nature, I’m not even aware I do it. That is, until last week, happily reading my new cookbook ‘Chefs at Home’ (it’s filled with inspiration and great recipes, by the way), that as I read Jamie Oliver’s recipe for eggless chocolate cake, I wondered “Well, can I make this pareve – thus suitable to be eaten at the end or along with a meaty or milky meal?” and yes, it was possible! With Jamie taking out the eggs as well, lo and behold my Kosher sensibilities had created a vegan recipe. And that makes me so happy: To see a well-honed skill of creating a Kosher recipe now being used (when possible) to create some ‘free-from’ recipes as well!
Aside from everything else, I love the symmetry in this recipe. If you don’t use a scale to bake, then all the lovely symmetry makes no difference. I have a desert island mentality: What if I find myself on, say a desert island or Master Chef, where no recipes are allowed and I need to conjure up a brownie out of the blue? No worries, I have the perfect recipe memorized! Yes, I totally understand the unlikeliness of this scenario, but a girl can dream!
- 200g (1 ½ cups) blanched hazelnuts
- 200g (7 ounces) 70% dark chocolate, broken up
- 200g (1 cup) coconut oil
- 200g (1 ½ cups + 2 tablespoons) self-raising flour (or 200g plain (all-purpouse) flour + 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder)
- 200g (1 cup) caster sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 200ml (¾ cup + 1 tablespoon) soy milk
- Heat oven to 180℃ (350℉) line and grease the sides and bottom of a 20×20 cm (8×8 inch) square baking tin, and set aside.
- Place the hazelnuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade, and process until the hazelnuts are ground fine.
- Add the chocolate and process until you have a smoothish paste.
- Add the coconut oil and process until you have chocolate sauce
- Add the flour, salt, and sugar, and process just until combined
- Feed the milk through the tube and process until you have a luscious brownie batter.
- Pour the batter into prepared tin, use a spatula to smooth, and level the top.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until top is dry and everything else is a bit jiggly.
- Serve hot as a pudding, or let set a couple of hours and cut into brownies
