White Chocolate Berry Ganache Brownies - Valentines Treats

I’ve been eyeing up these brownies on the Instagram account of @Thida.Bevington for a while - they looked unbelieveably decadent, definitely one for a treat. With Valentines Day next week, I thought it would be a great excuse to try them this CakeMonday.

The ganache topping is made by adding pureed and sieved raspberries with warm cream to melted white chocolate. You spread a layer evenly across the brownie then allow to set in the fridge for a few hours.

I’m using my favourite brownie receipe, the one I normally add Salted Caramel to. It’s a fail-safe one for me but feel free to use you own recipe and just top with the ganache.

Be warned: THESE ARE RICH! I cut mine into small squares from the 20cm x 20cm tin. You could easily get 16-20 out of the mix depending on how you slice them

TIP: The best way to get a smooth slice through the ganache is to use a long sharp knife that you clean with hot water between each slice. This stops any brownie crumbs spoiling the top and the hot knife cuts throught the ganache easier.

Brownie Ingredients:

• 175g dark chocolate (55-70% cocoa solids, buy best you can)
• 175g butter, cubed
• 25g cocoa powder (good quality)
• 3 eggs
• 225g soft brown sugar
• 1tsp vanilla extract
• 100g plain flour sifted

Berry Ganache Ingredients:

• 100g frozen raspberries or blackberries, lightly defrosted. You want to get 60g puree from this when blitzed and sieved.
• 60g double cream, warmed
• 180g white chocolate, melted

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees (150 degrees fan oven) & line base & sides of a 20cm square cake tin with parchment paper.
2. Make brownies first by melting dark chocolate, butter & cocoa powder in bowl over a saucepan with few cm of simmering water. Remove from heat once melted.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, brown sugar & vanilla extract until light & creamy. Continue to whisk, then add in the melted chocolate / butter mix.
4. Sift in flour & fold with a spatula or metal spoon. Pour mixture into prepared cake tin.
5. Bake for approx 20 mins until set on top but gooey in the centre. Leave to cool fully in the tin (overnight is good).
6. To make the ganache, blitz the berries in a blender / Nutribullet until smooth then pass through a fine sieve to remove any pips. Add to the cream and warm gently in a microwave for 30-40 seconds.
7. Melt the white chocolate over a pan of simmering water or in microwave then stir in the berry / cream mix. When well combined, pour over the top of the brownie and put back in fridge for at least 2 hours to set.
8. Slice into squares and decorate with flowers or white chocolate decorations, like the hearts above.