Cake Like Brownies

[Caroline923]

My favorite is the fudgy type - so I at a loss as to how and meet this special request - no nuts either - suggesstions? And I use at least a 50% to 70% chocoate.

[Tweety69bird]

My favorite is the fudgy type - so I at a loss as to how and meet this special request - no nuts either - suggesstions?  And I use at least a 50% to 70% chocoate.

←

My mom doesn't like fudgy types of brownies, so she adds in 1 teaspoon of baking soda to her recipe to get a more cake like texture. Maybe you can try that?

[miladyinsanity]

Whip your eggs?

I got a very cake-like flourless chocolate cake (I mean, really flourless, no nutflours or anything like that either, just eggs, butter, sugar and chocolate) by whipping my eggs to triple volume and folding in melted butter and chocolate.

[chefpeon]

Having been in the biz so long, one learns early not to have just ONE version on hand, but many.

Especially in the brownie dept. I have a fudgy recipe, a chewy recipe and cakey one. Here's Mr. Cakey:

2 oz room temp butter

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 T. plus 1 t. light corn syrup

Cream til smooth.

2 large eggs

Add one at a time, beat thoroughly

2 t. vanilla

1/4 cup lukewarm milk

Beat til incorporated. Batter may look broken. This is OK.

4 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

Beat in chocolate til smooth and slightly thickened.

1/2 cup AP flour

1/2 t. baking powder

pinch salt

Combine and add to above mixture. Don't overmix.

Grease and flour an 8 inch square pan (or use baker's grease-equal parts oil, shortening and flour beaten together) or line the bottom with parchment and grease, whichever you like.

Scrape batter into pan, bake at 350 til done, around 20 to 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted off center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Cool, cut into squares.

Edited October 20, 2006 by chefpeon (log)

[Desiderio]

Ohh thank you much for sharing you recipe ( I always feel honored when a pro share her/his recipes/formulas )

Thank you

[miladyinsanity]

Chefpeon, is the corn syrup absolutely necessary? Can I skip it?

[Desiderio]

I actually found long time ago , while working for the Navy in a restaurant, a recipe for brownies I really liked , I dont have it here I will look for it whan I go back home, but it did call for syrup , I didn have corn syrup at that time ( in Italy ) I made a sugar syrup and use that instead.Dont know if this will work the same.

[miladyinsanity]

I have it, Vanessa, I just don't especially like using it unless I have to. It's a pain to measure tiny amounts, for one thing.

[Dave the Cook]

I wouldn't leave out the corn syrup -- I'd bet that it's purpose is structural in this recipe. Since structure is what's at issue here, omitting it is likely to give you disappointing results.

I have it, Vanessa, I just don't especially like using it unless I have to. It's a pain to measure tiny amounts, for one thing.

←

Have you tried a turkey injector?

[chefpeon]

Chefpeon, is the corn syrup absolutely necessary? Can I skip it?

I'm sure you'll get a suitable brownie without the corn syrup. But I can't guarantee it will be

quite the same. You might like it better, I don't know. I haven't tried omitting the corn syrup

myself because the recipe, to me, is perfect for a cakey brownie. My philosophy is, 'If it ain't

broke, don't fix it." So I make it as is.

It's such a small amount, I would think that even people who have a "thing" about corn syrup

wouldn't mind it all that much.

[aidensnd2]

I've found that the difference between a fudgy brownie and a cakey one is how much the eggs are whipped. I have 1 base brownie recipe that I normally make fudgie but if a client wants it cakey then I just aerate the eggs and it turns into cakey brownies. For 1/2 sheet pan: 1 lb choc, 1.25 lb butter, 1.125 lb sugar, 3/4 lb eggs room temp, 1/5 tsp salt, 1/2 oz vanilla, 8 oz flour. Melt the chocolate and butter together; emulsify. Mix the eggs and sugar just until combined (for fudgie brownies, or mix until doubled/tripeld in volume for cakey) mix chocolate into eggs, fold in flour. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until done.

Hope this helps.

[miladyinsanity]

Chefpeon, is the corn syrup absolutely necessary? Can I skip it?

I'm sure you'll get a suitable brownie without the corn syrup. But I can't guarantee it will be

quite the same. You might like it better, I don't know. I haven't tried omitting the corn syrup

myself because the recipe, to me, is perfect for a cakey brownie. My philosophy is, 'If it ain't

broke, don't fix it." So I make it as is.

It's such a small amount, I would think that even people who have a "thing" about corn syrup

wouldn't mind it all that much.

←

I don't mind using it. It's just that I don't keep it around all the time, so I usually just ask in case.

[RodneyCk]

In the latest issue of Cook's Illustrated, they worked up a fudge-like brownie recipe. Here is their modified recipe (second post, also the third post/recipe sounds good as well):

http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/326411

[McDuff]

I actually found long time ago , while working for the Navy in a restaurant, a recipe for brownies I really liked , I dont have it here I will look for it whan I go back home, but it did call for syrup , I didn have corn syrup at that time ( in Italy ) I made a sugar syrup and use that instead.Dont know if this will work the same.

←

I think I've made those. There was a box full of recipe cards at a joint I worked at that had Great Lakes Naval Training Station printed on it, and the brownie recipe had corn syrup in them. Wish I'd swiped it when I had the chance.

[Caroline923]

You guys are the best - I am off to othe kitchen - "real" chef's recipe - to save and treasure - thanks chefpeon - love the name!!

[Desiderio]

I actually found long time ago , while working for the Navy in a restaurant, a recipe for brownies I really liked , I dont have it here I will look for it whan I go back home, but it did call for syrup , I didn have corn syrup at that time ( in Italy ) I made a sugar syrup and use that instead.Dont know if this will work the same.

←

I think I've made those. There was a box full of recipe cards at a joint I worked at that had Great Lakes Naval Training Station printed on it, and the brownie recipe had corn syrup in them. Wish I'd swiped it when I had the chance.

←

Yes exactley , it was a box full of recipes cards from start to finish, they werent use them so I asked my manager if I could get them .I will look for them back home hopefully they still around .hehe small world eh

[lorinda]

I never 'got' cakey brownies. If you like cakey brownies, wouldn't you just eat cake?

[Toliver]

Cake-like brownies are sometimes called "Texas Brownies".

Clara's Brownies (aka Texas Brownies) use an icing with chopped walnuts but you can omit the nuts.

[Patrick S]

I never 'got' cakey brownies. If you like cakey brownies, wouldn't you just eat cake?

←

Seems to me its a purely semantic issue. Trying to decide whats a cakey brownie and what's a dense cake is like asking what is the dividing line between short and tall, or light and heavy. Cake density varies along a continuum, just like height or weight. There's a great area there were you have something you're not sure to call it a cakey brownie or a fudgy cake. Doesnt matter to me what you call it, but you have an idea what it is, and its certainly an appealing texture for many people.

The honey brownies in Dorie Greenspan's new book make for good cakie brownies.