Lebovitz Sunday

A friend left a message on my facebook that she's craving for something sweet and requested me to bake her a cake. Married for slightly over a month, I was wondering mengidam ke budak ni? Malasnya nak bake, time2 busy ni, but then I remembered what Mum once said to me, "Jangan let down harapan orang, you don't know when you would be asking them for favours.."

With that, I flipped through my recipe book and began searching for something nice but pretty easy to make. So, I settled for David Lebovitz's Cheesecake Brownies. The recipe's uploaded on his website too - http://www.davidlebovitz.com/archives/2008/10/cheesecake_brownies.html. Do check it out. Easy peasy but the end result is super yummy! Worth every calorie ;) I ended baking 2 pans last Sunday. Sis brought some to her office and came home with order for 6 pans. Seriously? Wahh! This is fun! Guess I should start trying out Rachel Allen's recipes pulak ;)

Happy baking and Selamat Menyambut Ramadhan everyone!

Cheesecake Brownies by David Lebovitz (from www.davidlebovitz.com)

One 9-inch (23cm) square pan

6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (115g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (130g) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (70g) flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80g) chocolate chips

8 ounces (200g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tablespoons (75g) sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Line a 9-inch (23cm) square pan with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides. Use two sheets if necessary. Mist with non-stick spray or grease lightly.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the 2/3 cup (130g) sugar, then the eggs.

4. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

5. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, 5 tablespoons (75g) of sugar, and vanilla until smooth.

6. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.

7. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan feels just set.

Let cool, then lift out the foil and peel it away. Cut the brownies into squares.

Storage: These will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days. They also freeze well, too.