Dessert : Cappuccino Brownies

I am not good in the kitchen. Seriously. When i first came to Yemen, far from my family, no maid, i had no idea how to cut chicken, how to bake, the only thing i can make was rice. and indomie. lol.
My husband never pushed me. We ordered foods from restaurant everyday, until we had enough of yemeni street food, and the thing is... i missed indonesian food!! the only way to eat indonesian food is that you have to cook it by yourself! i kept telling myself that. There's no way you can get indonesian food here. Then i started cooking. from the simple one, nasi goreng.

Then now i know what people say "learning by doing". That's how i learned. with books and internet, i collected recipes, and starterd "working" in the kitchen. OH, and there's no brownies in Yemen. So, yeah, brownies was my first choice to bake. First time, of course, failed. i don't know how many times i failed, until finally i baked real brownies that we can really eat and enjoy.haha..

and of course, as a beginner, i chose simple and easiest recipe always. when i saw this recipe, first i thought this would be complicated as it is 3 layers. brownies, cheese and chocolate topping. But when i read the instruction, i was surprised that i seems easy, so i gave it a try.

the recipe i got from www.recipegirl.com. She has lots of recipes, all kind of foods. and for this one i didn't modified as it was perfect that way and the recipe call for 8-inch pan, which is my favorite size pan of baking. not too much, enough for my little family.

Cappuccino Brownies

BROWNIE LAYER
4 ounces fine- quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
¾ stick (6 Tbsp.) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 Tbs instant espresso powder, dissolved in ½ Tbsp. boiling water
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ tsp salt
½ cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

CREAM CHEESE LAYER:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
3 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup powdered sugar, sifted
½ tsp vanilla extract
½ tsp ground cinnamon
GLAZE
3 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
1 Tbs unsalted butter
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
2¼ tsp instant espresso powder, dissolved in ½ Tbsp. boiling water
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch square baking pan, knocking out excess flour. (Or line the pan with parchment, letting the parchment come up the sides and hang over- then spray the parchment.- this is recommended as it’s easier to get the brownies out of the pan cleanly.)
2. In a heavy 1½-quart saucepan, melt chocolate and butter with espresso mixture over low heat, stirring, until smooth and remove pan from heat. Cool mixture to lukewarm and whisk in sugar and vanilla. Add eggs, whisking well until mixture is glossy and smooth. Stir in flour and salt until just combined and stir in walnuts (if using).
3. Spread batter evenly in pan and bake in middle of oven 22 to 25 minutes, or until a tester comes out with crumbs adhering to it. Cool brownie layer completely in pan on a rack.
4. Make cream cheese layer: In a bowl with an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar, vanilla and cinnamon and beat until combined well. Spread frosting evenly over brownie layer. Chill brownies 1 hour, or until frosting is firm.
5. Make glaze: In a large pyrex measuring cup or glass bowl, place chocolate, butter, cream and espresso mixture. Microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring, until melted and smooth. If glaze is steaming hot, let cool a little bit. Pour glaze carefully over cream cheese layer.Chill brownies, covered, until cold (at least 3 hours).Yield: About 24 squares

and this is how it looks like;

all this time cooking and baking, i'm still not good in "presentation". seriously. sometimes my husband has a doubt to try my cookies, cakes, brownies, because they look weird, not "pretty". haha..
This one, trust me, they taste good.and easy.
yummmmm