Black Forest Brownies

These Black Forest Brownies are the perfect treat for Valentine's Day - fudgy and extremely decadent, everyone will fall in love with them.

If there is something I love baking for people, it's brownies. There is just something about them that makes them a labour of love. I like how straightforward they are and the effect they have on people - because, let's be honest: everyone loves brownies. Personally, I am not a big fan of cakey brownies, so I always make sure mine are fudgy and decadent. But also, I always try not to overdo it with the sweetness, because I want you to be able to go back for extra helpings.

Brownies are my comfort bake, and over the years, I have perfected my recipe. Lately, however, I feel like my tastebuds have changed quite a bit. I have found myself craving foods I have never been particularly keen on. Cherry-flavoured desserts are one of them. Don't get me wrong, I love fresh cherries and can eat a whole box in minutes. But cherry-flavoured things... That's a different story. Cherry pie, cherry bakewell, you name them. And yet, lately, that's all I seem to crave (like my Cherry Bakewell Graonola).

So I have been experimenting with cherry desserts, and these Black Forest Brownies just seemed the perfect idea. The tartness of the cherries cuts through the sweetness of the chocolate and it is not too overpowering. Plus, they are the perfect dessert idea for Valentine's Day. Or any day really. In fact, I suggest that, no matter what day you are reading this, you get baking now. They are that good.

How to Make the Perfect Black Forest Brownies

• Reduce quantities of dry ingredients: You'll notice this recipe calls for small quantities of dry ingredients. You don't want to use too much flour or cocoa powder, as the more you add, the more cakey your brownies will be.

• Focus on the wet ingredients: We are melting butter and 200 gr of dark chocolate together, creating the most luscious chocolate ganache. But that's not the only wet mixture we are using. Simmering the frozen cherries with some jam and water will also help keep the brownies fudgy and moist.

• Get good-quality ingredients: These brownies don't need many ingredients, so the quality of each of them will really come through when eating them. If in season, I suggest using fresh cherries. If making them now (February) frozen ones are your best option. I also used high-quality cherry jam and dark chocolate. And I promise you, you can really tell.

• Don't overmix the cherries in the batter: Once your cherry mix is the right consistency, you want to dollop it all over the brownies and then swirl it around, so it spreads and slightly mixes with the batter. You don't want to overdo it though - if you spread the cherry mix too much, you will not get that good balance of full brownie chunks and dollops of jammy cherry compote.

Ingredients:

80 gr plain flour

50 gr cocoa powder

150 gr unsalted butter

200 gr dark cooking chocolate

110 gr caster sugar

3 medium eggs

150 frozen pitted cherries

3 heaped tbps cherry jam

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/356F.

• Sift both the flour and cocoa powder and then add them to a large bowl. Mix them together until fully combined.

• Cut the chocolate into chunks and cube your butter. Add them to a bowl and place it over a pot of simmering water on a low heat. Stir with a spoon until the chocolate and butter have fully melted. Remove from the heat.

• Add the chocolate ganache to the dry mix and stir well. Add your eggs and sugar and mix until fully incorporated. Set aside.

• To a small pot, add your frozen cherries and cherry jam, along with 2 or 3 tbsp of water. Simmer on a low heat for about 10-15 minutes. If the cherry mix is warm but does not thicken, consider adding 1 tsp of cornflour/cornstarch. Once slightly thickened, remove from the heat.

• Line an 8-inch square tin with baking paper, then evenly spread the brownie batter on it. With a spoon, add large dollops of the cherry mixture all over the brownie batter, then make some swirls, pushing the cherries slightly into the batter.

• Bake for 30/35 minutes. Once baked, let them cool down before slicing them into squares.

These brownies are best eaten on the same day, especially when they are still slightly warm, with a nice scoop of ice cream, but they can be enjoyed for up to 4 days after baking them. Not that they will last that long though.