Prep 25min (+ 1hr cooling time)Bake 45-50minMakes about 15

Essentially these fudgy brownies are marbled with an orange-scented cheesecake and they appear far more difficult to make than what they actually are. Perfect with a cuppa or a dollop of cream for dessert these brownies will satisfy any chocolate craving.

Ingredients

Brownie base

Melted butter, to grease
250g good-quality dark chocolate (45-54% cocoa), chopped
150g salted butter, cubed
165g (¾ cup) caster sugar
3 eggs, at room temperature, lightly whisked
75g (½ cup) plain flour
30g (¼ cup) cocoa powder
¾ teaspoon baking powder

Cheesecake topping

200g cream cheese, at room temperature
30g salted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
55g (¼ cup) caster sugar
1 egg yolk, at room temperature

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160ºC (140ºC fan-forced). Grease a 16cm x 26cm shallow slice tin with melted butter and line the base and long sides with one piece of baking paper.
2. To make the Cheesecake Topping, use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese, butter and orange rind in a medium bowl until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl when necessary. Add the sugar and beat until well combined. Add the egg yolk and beat well. Set aside.
3. To make the Brownie Base, place the dark chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl over a saucepan of gently simmering water (don’t let the base of the bowl touch the water). Stir occasionally until chocolate and butter melt and the mixture is smooth. Remove bowl from saucepan. Add the sugar and eggs and use a balloon whisk or wooden spoon to stir until well combined. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Add to chocolate mixture and stir until just combined.
4. Spoon half the Brownie Base mixture into prepared tin and spread evenly. Drop spoonfuls of almost all the Cheesecake Topping randomly over the brownie mixture. Top with spoonfuls of the remaining brownie mixture and then the remaining topping mixture. Tap the tin on the benchtop to settle the mixture. Use a butter knife or palette knife to swirl the two mixtures together to create a marbled effect and then tap on the bench again if necessary.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes or until moist crumbs cling to a skewer inserted in the centre. Remove from the oven and cool in tin on a wire rack (this will take about 1 hour).
6. Carefully remove brownie from the tin using the baking paper to lift it out. Cut into portions to serve.

This recipe is from Anneka's SBS Food online column, Bakeproof: Easy Chocolate Cakes. CLICK HERE for more Bakeproof recipes.

Photography by Alan Benson.