Now that's Italian!!!The flavour combinations of coffee and mascarpone sound exquisite. Got to have some!!!
Ingredients:
Espresso Brownie Base:
- 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pats
- 1 Tbsp instant espresso powder (or sub 2 Tbsp of Kahlua - I have not tried this)
- 1/2 C sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 C AP flour
- Pinch salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mascarpone Filling:
- 8 oz. mascarpone
- 1/2 C marsala
- 1/4 C sugar
- 1 C whipping cream
Topping: Dark chocolate
Instructions:
Make the brownie:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a 8 x 8 baking pan with a sheet of foil to make the brownies easy to lift out. You can grease the foil but I didn't.
- Melt the butter and chocolate in a large bowl over a bain marie or in a microwave on low power, about 30% (whisk between intervals to insure even heating).
- Whisk in the espresso powder to the warm chocolate. Then whisk in the sugar, salt, vanilla, and eggs. Finally add the flour and mix until just incorporated (do not overmix).
- Spread the batter into the baking pan and bake for about 17 to 22 minutes. Start checking the brownies early. A toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies should come out with moist crumbs.
- After the brownies are done, set them aside to cool while you make the filling.
Make the filling:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the mascarpone, sugar, and marsala until smooth.
- Meanwhile in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the whipping cream until stiff peaks form. I like to whip it with the machine to soft peaks and then whip by hand to stiff peaks so I don't overwhip (easy to do on a KA).
- Fold in about 1/3 of the cream into smooth marscarpone mixture to lighten it. Then fold the rest of the whipped cream into mascarpone. Chill the mixture until the brownies have cooled to room temp.
To serve:
- It's easiest to make each serving individually since the filling will ooze out if you cut the brownie (not as soft as ladyfingers). This recipe will make 8 2in x 4in servings.
- Cut the brownies into 2 x 4 rectangles. Then cut each rectangle in half horizontally so you get two layers of the brownie (top and bottom).
- Add a dollop of the filling to the bottom layer, add the top layer, then add more filling on top. Smooth off the top and sides then grate some chocolate shavings on top.