A perfectly baked, slightly gooey walnut brownie, layered with a delicious cream cheese icing, and topped with a coffee chocolate glaze, makes this an irresistible dessert to enjoy anytime of the day! A fool-proof recipe to share and enjoy with your loved ones.
This coffee walnut brownie slice with cream cheese and chocolate glaze, is a combo made in heaven, and will become your new favourite recipe!
Each layer of this slice is delicious in itself and while it takes time to set the cream cheese, the wait is certainly worth it.
Serve this crowd pleaser for high tea, morning or an after school snack or even as a cheeky after dinner treat!
ingredients needed
chocolate is used in the brownie and glaze batter. Use a good quality dark chocolate.
coffee you can control the strength of the coffee flavour. Use an espresso coffee for a stronger taste and filter coffee for a milder taste.
walnuts add texture to the brownie. You can replace them with other nuts like almonds, pecans or macadamias.
butter, cream & cream cheese use regular, unsalted butter, full fat cream and a good brand of cream cheese for best results.
sugar, icing sugar & flour in the recipe, I use caster sugar and plain all purpose flour.
vanilla in form of essence works best.
creating the layers
The coffee walnut brownie slice consists of three layers:
- the walnut and chocolate brownie, baked in the oven forms the base layer
- the cream cheese layer that will need to set
- and the chocolate glaze on top
It is important to know, that you could run into trouble if you do not give the layers enough time to cool and set. So make sure you have enough time on hand when attempting this recipe.
the chocolate and walnut brownie
To make the brownie, melt chocolate in a bowl together with the butter, coffee, vanilla essence and sugar over a bain marie (a pot of simmering water)
Make sure, that the water in the bain marie does not come in direct contact with the bowl, as it might burn the chocolate or if the water comes into the bowl, it can change the texture of the chocolate.
Once the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl and set aside and add eggs one by one. Ensure you combine well before adding the next egg.
Next goes in the flour and the walnuts, mix all well together.
Once the brownie mixture is ready, pour it into the baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 175°C (350°F) for 15 minutes or until the surface looks cooked and feels firm.
Important to note, overcooking the brownie will result in a more dense brownie layer with less of a fudgy bite to it.
how to tell if the brownie is cooked
First of all set a timer the minute you place the brownie in the oven.
Secondly you can use a skewer or toothpick to stick into the centre.
- The brownie needs more time if you see wet batter on the skewer.
- If you see a few moist crumbs on the skewer, then the brownie is ready.
- But if you get a clean skewer, it indicates the brownie is cooked all the way, something we want to avoid for this recipe.
the cream cheese layer
For this step, use a kitchen aid or hand blender for best results.
Combine the cream cheese and softened butter, cream together until soft and fluffy.
Now add the sifted icing sugar, vanilla essence and mix for another minute or until well combined.
Spread the mixture over the cooled brownie and place in the fridge to chill.
the chocolate glaze
Similar to the first layer, melt the chocolate together with the butter, coffee and cream over a water bath.
Pour the melted mixture over the set cream cheese layer.
Place the tray back in the fridge to chill.
portioning and storing
The coffee slice recipe gives 14 generous slices but feel free to cut into smaller squares if you'd like to serve it as a bite size snack.
Brownies keep well in an airtight container for up to a week. You can freeze brownies the same way for up to 3 months.
more recipes to try
Here are some more recipes using similar ingredients like chocolate and/or coffee:
dark chocolate mousse with coffee granita
chocolate bavarian cream with puffed rice
caramel chocolate pralines with macadamias
grand marnier chocolate truffles
Enjoy these recipes and happy baking!
Coffee Slice
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- baking tray 34cm (13.5 inch) x 24 cm (9.5 inch)
- whisk
- spatula
- kitchen aid or mixer
- small pot
- heat proof mixing bowls
Ingredients
for the brownie layer
- 250 gram dark chocolate
- 185 gram unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon espresso coffee
- 100 gram white caster sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
- 4 eggs
- 100 gram plain flour, sifted
- 100 gram walnuts
for the cream cheese layer
- 250 gram cream cheese
- 120 gram unsalted butter, softened
- 85 gram icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
for the chocolate glaze
- 185 gram dark chocolate
- 40 gram unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoon espresso coffee
- 120 gram cream
Instructions
for the brownie layer
- Line a baking tray (measuring 34cm x (13.5 inch) x 24 cm (9.5 inch)) with baking paper and set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the chocolate, butter, espresso coffee, vanilla essence and sugar.
- Place on top of a pot with simmering water making sure the bowl does not come in contact with the water inside the pot.
- Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until all ingredients have melted and are well combined.
- Remove the bowl and place on a kitchen towel or onto a cold surface (kitchen counter).
- Add the eggs one by one and whisk well before adding the next egg.
- Add the sifted flour and incorporate well into the chocolate mix with a spatula.
- Add the walnuts and mix well.
- Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared baking tray and bake in a pre-heated oven at 175°C (350°F) for 15 minutes or until the surface looks cooked and feels firm.
- Allow the brownie to cool completely.
for the cream cheese layer
- In a mixing bowl add cream cheese and softened butter. Using a kitchen aid or hand mixer cream together until soft and fluffy.
- Add the icing sugar and vanilla essence and mix for another minute or until well combined.
- Check if the brownie layer has cooled enough and then only spread the cream cheese layer on the top. Cover the entire brownie layer and set aside to cool again.
for the chocolate glaze
- In a small bowl combine the chocolate, butter, espresso coffee and cream. Place on a pot of simmering water. Again make sure the boiling water does not come in contact with the bowl directly.
- Stir with a spatula until all ingredients have melted and are well combined.
- Check if the cream cheese layer has set. If firm, pour the chocolate glaze over the cream cheese layer and spread evenly with a pastry spatula.
- Keep the slab in the fridge for at least 1 hour before slicing into it. The chocolate should be set and firm.
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