Butterscotch Bramble Brownie Cake by expert chocolatier Paul A Young

Butterscotch Bramble Brownie Cake by expert chocolatier Paul A Young

Butterscotch Bramble Brownie Cake by expert chocolatier Paul A Young

Autumn is my favourite time of year for baking heart-warming, comforting cakes. Seasonal berries, orchard and stone fruits are in abundance and made to be muddled together with rich moist chocolate. 

This is a soft, fudgy-centred cake made with 72 per cent Venezuelan chocolate, but you can use your favourite variety. Notethat this cake drops slightly in the middle, so don’t worry. It can be served warm but is best at room temperature.

Serves 8

For the cake batter

100g unsalted butter

175g light muscovado sugar

½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp Maldon sea salt

50g golden syrup

165g 72 per cent Venezuelan chocolate, roughly broken

3 medium free-range eggs

50g plain flour

100g brambles or blackberries

for the Bramble butterscotch

100g butter

100g light muscovado sugar

½ tsp Maldon sea salt

100ml double cream

200g brambles or blackberries

100g dark chocolate, chopped into small pieces

To make the cake 

  •  Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 20cm cake tin with a double layer of baking parchment around the sides and a single disc on the base.
  •  In a saucepan melt the butter, sugar, black pepper, salt and golden syrup until smooth and bubbling. Add the chocolate off the heat and stir well until fully melted.
  •  Whisk the eggs and strain through a sieve on to the chocolate batter. Mix well until fully incorporated. Now add the flour in one go, mixing very well until fully incorporated.
  •  Pour all the batter into the tin, then scatter the brambles across the top of the cake. Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes until the cake has set but is still moist in the centre. It will look slightly underdone but the residual heat will set the chocolate and make the cake very moist.
  •  Allow to cool thoroughly, remove from the tin and place on your cake stand. To make the bramble butterscotch
  •  In a medium saucepan melt the butter, sugar and salt together and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take off the heat and add the double cream, standing back as it can splutter. Whisk in well.
  •  Now add the brambles, stirring well so they begin to burst and colour the caramel an intense purple, and finally stir in the chocolate until melted. Spoon over the cake so it spills down the sides and pile the brambles on the top.
  •  This keeps well in an airtight container for 1 week in the fridge.