Super Gooey Espresso Cheesecake Brownies

Spending all day with a 4 month old doesn't do wonders for my conversational skills. I love my days with Matilda but I sometimes forget how to talk to people until Nick comes home from work. The amount of things that leave my brain as soon as they've gone in is ridiculous and I had no idea how much my mind would turn to mush after having a baby. I'm not complaining though, the reactions I get when I talk to Matilda are better than any I've ever got from an adult - no-one has ever found me so fascinating. It does wonders for my ego. I look forward to many years of Matilda thinking I am amazing, until she realises her mother is pretty lame (for example, I am literally counting the days until I go and see McBusted in May).

I think there are two categories of brownie, dessert and snack. Dessert brownies are messy and probably need to be eaten with ice cream and a spoon. Snack brownies are the ones you can wrap in foil and sneak into your handbag for emergency brownie situations - these situations arise almost daily for me. I place myself more on the dessert end of the spectrum, I find a dry, cakey brownie just about the most disappointing thing that could happen to me in a world of baked goods.

I love gooey brownies, I like the middle of the brownie to still hold onto the batter consistency and I like to be able to lick chocolate off my fingers when the brownie is done. These, as the title suggests, are super gooey. They are really really good and exactly how I like my brownies. Just look at that picture above...brownie batter all over the place! Nick said he could taste the espresso quite strongly but I actually thought it was a very mild espresso taste. If you are worried about the taste of coffee either use half the amount or leave it out completely, it will still taste amazing.

Super Gooey Espresso Cheesecake Brownies
120g plain flour 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 300g dark chocolate, roughly chopped 250g unsalted butter, cut into cubes 3 large eggs 1 tablespoon espresso (2 teaspoons of instant coffee mixed with 1 tablespoon of boiled water) 220g caster sugar
200g cream cheese 80g caster sugar 1 large egg 1 tablespoon espresso (2 teaspoons of instant coffee mixed with 1 tablespoon of boiled water)

1. Preheat your oven to 180 C / 350 F. Line a medium sized brownie tin with greaseproof paper and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and espresso until well combined.
3. In a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove from the heat and pour in the egg mixture. Mix slowly with a spoon for a few minutes until thickened.
4. Add the flour and baking powder and fold in until just combined.
5. Pour into the brownie tray.
6. For the cheesecake mix, whisk the cream cheese, sugar, egg and espresso together until smooth.
7. Spoon over the brownie mix in random spots then swirl around with the tip of a sharp knife to create a marbled effect.
8. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes. If you like your brownies a little firmer, bake for 5-10 minutes longer but cover with foil to stop it burning.
9. Leave to cool before turning out of the tin and cutting up.