Chocolate & Aubergine (Eggplant) Brownies

Chocolate and aubergine may seem like an odd combination but it works really well. I first came across this double act in Minori, an Italian seaside town on the Amalfi coast. This is my take on that combination, which is more like a brownie than the traditional dessert of the area, and no doubt would have many a Mamma from Campania questioning my changes! I urge you to give this a try as it will surprise you. Unlike a traditional brownie, it is light and moist due to the water content in the aubergines. For those who like a good chocolate hit, it is extremely chocolatey… oh, and it’s gluten free too.

📷 Lisa Linder

Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/gas 6. Grease and line the tin with non-stick baking paper.

Place the whole aubergines on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake for about 45–60 minutes, or until the flesh is tender and the skin has wrinkled. Carefully remove from the oven and leave until cool enough to handle. Slice down the length of each aubergine and scoop the pulpy flesh from each discarding any tougher or seedy parts, and place in a sieve or colander sat above a bowl. As the flesh cools in the sieve, most of the excess liquid will drain into the bowl below. Leave to drain for 2 hours, then blitz in a food processer until pulpy.

Next, preheat the oven to 160°C fan/180°C/350°F/gas 4. Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Allow the butter and chocolate to melt, then stir until smooth and glossy. Remove from the heat, leave to cool, then add the drained aubergine flesh.

Place the sugar and eggs in the bowl of a free-standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk together on a high speed for 5 minutes until they become pale, fluffy and have increased considerably in volume. Add one-third of the whisked eggs, a pinch of salt and the almonds to the chocolate and aubergines and fold everything together. When combined, add the remaining whisked eggs, folding in gently – trying to keep as much air in place as possible. Pour the batter in to the tin, holding the mixing bowl close while doing so, to prevent any air from being lost in the process.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 45 minutes, after which turn the temperature down to 140°C fan/160°C/325°F/gas 3. Bake for a further 15 minutes, then check the brownie by inserting a skewer in to the centre; if it comes out relatively clean, it is ready (it does need to be a little fudgy). If the cake isn’t quite ready, return it to the oven and bake for a further 10 minutes before re-checking.

Leave the brownies in the tin to cool a little before lifting out. Release the sides of the paper and leave to cool on a wire rack. When fully cooled, dust with icing sugar, using a template for a patterned effect if you wish.

MAKES 16 BROWNIES

Use a 21cm (8 ½ inch) square, 5cm (2 inch) deep baking tin (pan)

1kg (2.lb) aubergines/ eggplants (about 3 medium sized ones)

100g (3 ½ oz) dark chocolate, broken into small pieces

100g (3 ½ oz) milk chocolate, broken into small pieces

100g (3 ½ oz / ½ cup / 1 stick) unsalted butter

100g (3 ½ oz/ ½ cup) caster (superfine) sugar

4 eggs

pinch of salt

150g (5 ½ oz / 1 ½ cups) ground almonds (almond meal) icing (powdered) sugar, to finsh (optional)