A little while ago I was approached by a representative of Bakingmad to see if I would like to make one of their recipes and review it on my blog. Given how much I love to bake, I didn't have to give it much thought and I chose one of their Valentine's Day recipes... A Brownie Rolo Heart. You can find more Valentine's Day recipes here:
I made sure I followed the instructions to the letter, assembling all my ingredients before I started, lining my tin properly etc.
But despite taking all this care I stumbled at the first hurdle. The recipe calls for the butter to be rubbed into the dry ingredients (something I've not come across before in a brownie recipe) but the proportion of fat to dry ingredients was too large and instead of the expected breadcrumb like texture the result was a very sticky creamed mixture, the majority of which was stuck to my hands. At this stage I got out my electric mixture and proceeded to mix everything together with the whisk. Back on track, the cake went into the oven... for 30 minutes according to the recipe.
But it was 50 minutes before the centre of the cake stopped looking liquid and I was prepared to risk taking it out of the oven. I've made a lot of Brownies over the years and I know that they should be squidgy in the centre and not at all dry... but I didn't think they should be poured out of the tin!
I was concerned that the outside edges would be hard and dry and a little burned, which is always a problem with chocolate... but it looked okay so I went ahead and decorated the cake.
And the verdict.... well the proof of the pudding as they say...
...is in the eating!
And this went from Heart to nothing in 24 hours...
With comments like "Oh Boy" and "Good Cake". It was moist, very chocolately and with a toffee like layer along the bottom... the Rolos had obviously all sunk to the bottom of the cake! I think it was more of a chocolate fudge cake than a Brownie and I wouldn't make it if it was Brownies that I wanted. But with a bit of tweaking to the recipe, I would definitely make it again! The evidence speaks for itself!
And for having the pleasure of testing... and eating this excellent chocolate cake, the Bakingmad people have given me a cookbook to giveaway to my readers.
Called the Big Book of Bread, it is not only filled with all manner of bread recipes for yeasted breads, fruit breads, flatbreads etc...
But it also has sections on using bread in other recipes such as desserts...
and main courses.
If you would like to leave me a comment telling me your favourite chocolate recipe then I will pop your name into a draw to win this fine cook book. The winner will be picked on Thursday which is Valentine's Day. I'm sorry that I will have to limit this giveaway to UK readers this time as it is quite a heavy book and I'm not sure I can afford to send it overseas without taking out a mortgage!
Looks yummy! My favourite chocolate recipe is a double chocolate brownie one we got from a magazine and made it lots of time. Have a great weekend. :)
ReplyDeleteWhenever I have made Brownies, the butter and chocolate were always melted together in a saucepan, the eggs, sugar and flour added when cooler.
ReplyDeleteStill you had a good result in the end.
Please don't put me in the draw, I bake so seldom and can't manage to knead the dough now.
My favourite choc recipe is one I have made with my children since they were tiny. We found it in a children's cookbook and used orange flavoured chocolate topping (not something I would normally use) but it always made a good brownie for kids. Not too rich for them. Your recipe looks interesting. Love cookbooks.
ReplyDeleteWho cares if it didn't go to plan as long as it tasted alright. As for my favourite chocolate recipe I used to make one for my birthday, chocolate sponge with whipped cream filling and melted chocolate on top, fattening but delicious.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly was well appreciated! It's hard to pick just one favourite chocolate recipe but mine is probably gooey chocolate pudding, the type where you pour hot water and cocoa over a chocolate batter cake and magic happens in the oven as it comes out with a pool of sauce under cake!
ReplyDeletethe cake looked very inviting - yum
ReplyDeleteanniex
Favourite chocolate recipe - that's very difficult, since I love chocolate in all its forms,but most recently I have made Nigel Slater's beetroot chocolate cake which was yummy and very chocolately. Your cake sounds delicious and looks (or looked!) very pretty.
ReplyDeleteIt was obviously appreciated by your boys! I usually love your baking and would always say yes to a slice, but I would have passed on this cake. I have a 'probably' unreasonable dislike of 'Rolo's', it stems from childhood.
ReplyDeleteoh yum Gina. Obviously a good cake. I've just eaten dinner and I need to eat again seeing your post lol. PS - how's the 5:2 going? I'm still going strong.
ReplyDeleteI love chocolate brownies and the recipe I use is an old one cut out from the Daily Telegraph! I also have a recipe for Rolo brownies which my children love but I find a bit too sweet!
ReplyDeleteI do hate it when recipes don't behave as they should, but you have obviously overcome that snag to produce another wonderful cake. My favourite chocolate recipe is actually for a mocha cake - it is quite rich but makes a fantastic dessert.
ReplyDeleteNow I do like the idea of a layer of rollos in a cake, mmm!
ReplyDeleteMy fav chocolate recipe, well you can't beat good old Millionaires Shortbread!
V xxx
Gina, it looks to me as if you've given that chocolate brownie/cake a very fair review. The photos of the disappearing chocolate heart show another review.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes to whoever wins the cook book.
I also very much enjoyed your post about the heart crocheting session. There is definitely the possibility of great fun in this chilly short month of February.
xo
Well, the end result definitely proved you can always make a good cake, tweaking any recipe Gina. Don't put me in the draw - I am too far away and II do very little baking these days. My favourite chocolate cake is one where all the ingredients go in together and just get beaten for three minutes- always a great favourite in our house. Cheers
ReplyDeleteMy favourite chocolate recipe was rather unappealingly christened cat crap, as the cake pudding did not look the perfect type of dessert to eat, but tasted and smelt delicious. It was also made in the microwave and so didn't take long to make either. Unfortunately our daughter now has the book with the recipe in as she was the one who used to make it the most.
ReplyDeleteI can't stop laughing at the comment above! So funny. I am another who is in love with Millionaire's Shortbread. Always my cake of choice when out if it looks nicely baked. It's the shortbread that has to look nicely crisp and brown and not soggy. You did well to turn that cake recipe around Gina. It looks a stunner.
ReplyDeleteI love your attempt at the baking -must have been delicious to go so fast. I would love the bread book - my fav chocolate recipe is the simplest marshallow and chocolate mousse
ReplyDeleteI remember having a sort of "rolo pie" in Calgary, years ago. This version looks delicious - but I think if I made it I'd use a mixer too, can't be doing with faffing with rubbing in butter! (BTW I think I've got that bread book, so I'm not entering the giveaway)
ReplyDeleteI remember having a sort of "rolo pie" in Calgary, years ago. This version looks delicious - but I think if I made it I'd use a mixer too, can't be doing with faffing with rubbing in butter! (BTW I think I've got that bread book, so I'm not entering the giveaway)
ReplyDeleteThe price of postage everywhere kills our fun .... pout......
ReplyDeletebut, just to let you know...I do have a little chocolate cake in a ramekin on my food blog, Tea and Scones that is a quick easy make and yet ..satisfies that craving for chocolate we all have from time to time..... check it out sometime.
Your cake looks so pretty - and delicious too! I'm struggling to think of a favourite chocolate recipe as I would love to win the bread book for Dot!! I think it is probably the chocolate muffins that the girls make that have a piece of chocolate in the centre that melts when they are warm. Mostly I try to keep away from the delicious stuff in my efforts to lose weight! Lucy xx
ReplyDeleteThe finished cake looks lovely and obviously tasted fine. Please don't enter me in the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteMy chocolate recipe of the moment is Heston blumenthal's exploding chocolate gateau. If you leave off the flocking, which I do, it's pretty simple and a bit different....and I've had some complements from it too. The recipe is here, if anyone would like to try it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.channel4.com/4food/recipes/chefs/heston-blumenthal/exploding-chocolate-gateau-recipe
I am knownfor my chocolate slice recipe which is like a kind of tiffen - I am ordered to make it frequently by the family and they fight over it - i made it for the nurses at the chemo unit and they fought over the last piece!!!!! - it is one of those no cook recipes so it is easy to do
ReplyDelete