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    Home » Recipes » Brownies » Black Cocoa Brownie with Dark Chocolate Bailey’s German Buttercream

    Black Cocoa Brownie with Dark Chocolate Bailey's German Buttercream

    Published: Mar 13, 2020 · Modified: Sep 12, 2020 by Erin · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

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    Dark, rich, black cocoa brownie is topped with a pastry cream based German Buttercream which is made with Bailey's and Dark Chocolate. This is the perfect St. Patrick's day brownie but is also amazing year-round.

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    Hi! Writing this from a social isolation in my home - things here have gotten a bit scary with this new virus that seems to be taking over, so we are listening to the rules and keeping our distance from things. I think things like this, while scary, are a great reminder to check in on those around you - your neighbors, friends, anyone who might be particularly vulnerable or feeling a bit alone and could do with you standing in their corner. I already work from home so the changes haven’t affected us too much, but I am super aware that there are some who aren’t as fortunate as us and who will be leaning on support in the next coming weeks. Please also consider them when you are preparing any way that you can - whether it be a donation to a food bank, or checking in on some of your friends.

    If you need a wee distraction, baking is a great option. I often turn to the kitchen as a little safe space in my home where I can forget about the outside for a while. I made these brownies last week with St Patrick’s day in mind, but they are super easy to make, incredibly delicious and last well in the fridge, so they would work great for any occasion.

    This is just a wee riff on a favourite brownie of mine - I added on a dark chocolate Bailey’s German Buttercream. The great thing with German Buttercream is that you can easily sub the milk within the pastry cream recipe for another liquid - in this case Bailey’s. If you want the alcohol to be stronger tasting, only warm it slightly before adding in to the mixture. Lots of it will boil off but some of the flavour will be retained. If you want to boil it off more, bring the Bailey’s to a boil in the pan first, leave it to boil for a minute or two, then proceed as usual. I love the combination of the dark brownie with the chocolate Bailey’s buttercream, but you can leave the chocolate out of the buttercream if you like too.

    A few wee tips:

    • Make sure your brownie is nice and cool before frosting.

    • The pastry cream for the buttercream needs time to cool, so make sure you account for that.

    • I used these sprinkles on the top!

    • Here is an oreo variation!

     

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    Black Cocoa Brownie with Dark Chocolate Bailey's German Buttercream

    • Author: Erin
    • Prep Time: 25 minutes
    • Cook Time: 45 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes plus cooling time
    • Yield: 16 pieces 1x
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    Description

    Dark, rich, black cocoa brownie is topped with a pastry cream based German Buttercream which is made with Bailey's and Dark Chocolate. This is the perfect St. Patrick's day brownie but is also amazing year-round.


    Ingredients

    Scale

    Black Cocoa Brownie

    • 113g cold unsalted butter
    • 225g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
    • 50g Black cocoa, or extra dutched cocoa
    • 140g all-purpose flour
    • ½ tsp baking powder
    • ¾ tsp salt
    • 4 large eggs, at room temperature
    • 120g neutral oil
    • 300g sugar
    • 100g brown sugar
    • 2 tsp vanilla

    Bailey's German Buttercream 

    • 110g granulated sugar
    • 12g corn starch
    • 1 egg, at room temperature
    • 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
    • ½ tsp salt
    • 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
    • 190g Bailey’s or Irish Cream
    • 340g unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 180g dark chocolate, melted and then cooled.

    Instructions

    BLACK COCOA BROWNIE

    1. Preheat the oven to 350˚f / 180˚c. Grease a 9” square baking tin and line with a parchment paper sling.
    2. Melt together the butter and chocolate in a medium pan over low heat, stirring well until smooth. Add the cocoa powder and mix well to combine, then set aside to cool.
    3. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, oil, sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Mix until well combined. Add the chocolate mixture and mix until combined. Gently fold in the dry ingredients until just combined.
    4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking tin. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the top of the brownie is set and a skewer inserted comes out with still a few crumbs attached. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

    BAILEY’S GERMAN BUTTERCREAM

    1. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the sugar and corn starch, then add the eggs, egg yolks and salt, and whisk well to combine.
    2. In a medium saucepan over low heat, combine the Bailey’s and vanilla bean paste. Heat to just shy of a boil (you should see movement around the edge of the pan). Remove from the heat.
    3. Using one hand to whisk constantly, pour half of the hot Bailey’s mixture into the egg mixture. This helps to temper the eggs. Whisk until well incorporated, then transfer back into the saucepan.
    4. Place the saucepan over medium heat, and, whisking constantly, cook until it begins to bubble. It will thicken quickly.
    5. Heat the milk and egg mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to bubble. It will thicken quickly. Once it has thickened, cook for one minute, then remove from the heat. Pour into a shallow container or bowl of a stand mixer and press plastic wrap over the surface to avoid a skin forming.
    6. Refrigerate until cold - at least four hours, preferably overnight (If you need to speed this process up, you can place the pastry cream in a bowl, then place the bowl in an ice bath. Stir frequently).
    7. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the mixture on medium until creamy and lump-free. Begin adding the butter, a few cubes at a time, until fully incorporated. It may look curdled at some point but just keep whipping - it will come together. Once the butter is incorporated and the mixture is homogenous, add the cooled chocolate and mix to incorporate. Switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 2-3 minutes to help remove any air bubbles.
    8. Store in an airtight container until ready to use - if you need to chill it, you can let it rewarm slightly then whip in your mixer to help smooth it out.

    ASSEMBLY

    1. Spread the buttercream over the surface of the brownie using an offset spatula. Add sprinkles if desired.
    2. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before serving.

    Notes

    Brownie recipe slightly adapted from The Vanilla Bean Baking Book

    Keywords: Brownie, Black cocoa, black cocoa brownie, German Buttercream, Bailey's Buttercream

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    Hi, I'm Erin

    I am originally from New Zealand but moved to Brooklyn, New York, six years ago. I live in a little wee apartment with my husband Rich, far too many house plants, and often a foster kitten or five... more

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    Easter is sneaking up on us.... I gave my classic Easter is sneaking up on us.... I gave my classic hot cross bun recipe a wee bit of a refresh just in case you need a few options. This one is the one to go for if you’re making your dough by hand (the soft ones I posted recently need the mixer for sure), or you need an egg free dough (notes in the recipe for an egg free cross too). I love both but the pastry cream cross on these ones is particularly good. You can swipe to see how that gets there, or check out the recipe in my profile 💕 pop any questions you have on the blog post for me - there’s alllll sorts of notes there for you too to help you. As always I love when you leave me feedback / ratings so much. Appreciate you all 😘

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