Hummingbird Bakery's frosted brownies recipe

This frosted brownies recipe promises decadent, rich and lip-smackingly good brownies in just over an hour.

These Hummingbird Bakery brownies are a best-seller in the hip London bakery based in Notting Hill - and for a good reason. A great alternative to the traditional chocolate brownies, these frosted brownies are more cake-like, containing nuts and of course topped with a thick layer of chocolatey cream-cheese frosting that melts in the mouth. Simply whip up the brownie batter and bake in the oven for around 30 minutes. Then make sure they’re completely cool before adding the frosting, to avoid any melted icing disasters.

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 5 eggs
• 500g caster sugar
• 120g plain flour
• 100g cocoa powder
• 250g unsalted butter, melted
• 30g shelled walnuts, chopped
• 30g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

For the frosting:

• 200g icing sugar, sifted
• 75g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 30g cocoa powder, sifted
• 150g cream cheese, cold
• a 33 x 23 x 5-cm baking tray, lined with greaseproof paper

Method

1. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 170°C (325°F) Gas 3. Put the eggs and sugar in a large bowl and beat with a handheld electric whisk until light and fluffy. Add the flour and cocoa powder and beat until all the ingredients are well mixed. Pour in the melted butter and mix through. Stir the walnuts and chocolate in by hand until evenly dispersed. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for about 30–35 minutes, or until the top is firm but the centre is still soft. Leave to cool completely.
2. For the frosting:  Beat together the icing sugar, butter and cocoa powder in a freestanding electric mixer with a paddle attachment (or use a handheld electric whisk) on medium-slow speed until the mixture comes together and is well mixed. Add the cream cheese in one go and beat until it is completely incorporated. Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed. Continue beating until the frosting is light and fluffy, at least 5 minutes. Do not overbeat, as it can quickly become runny. When the brownie is cold, spread the frosting over the top. This recipe is an extract from The Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook by Tarek Malouf and The Hummingbird Bakers Photography by Peter Cassidy Published by Ryland Peters & Small Text © Tarek Malouf and The Hummingbird Bakers Photography copyright Ryland Peters & Small

Top tips for making frosted brownies recipe:

These delicious brownies are just as good without the frosting if you’re conscious of the calories. Similarly, you could use low-fat cream cheese instead of the full-fat variety for the frosting here to save a few calories. 

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