The combination of a rich mud cake and fudgy brownie with the addition of coffee makes this a lovely after-dinner treat or an equally delicious mid-morning pick-me-up. Instant coffee may seem unusual, but it adds a more robust coffee hit and is easier to incorporate into the dry mix.
Ingredients
Bourbon chocolate sauce
Method
Main
1.Preheat oven to 160C. Roast hazelnuts on a baking tray until dark brown (5-7 minutes), then rub off skins with a tea towel.
2.Combine sugar, butter, cocoa, coffee and ½ tsp salt in a heatproof bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, stir occasionally until melted and combined (the mixture may be a little gritty; this is fine). Set aside to cool (3-4 minutes), then add eggs one at a time, beating with a wooden spoon between additions until glossy (3-4 minutes). Add flour, beat to combine, then mix in nuts and spoon mixture into a buttered 20cm-square tin lined with baking paper and smooth top. Bake until a skewer inserted comes out clean (20-25 minutes). Cool in tin, then cut into irregular squares.
3.For Bourbon chocolate sauce, combine ingredients in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir until melted.
4.Serve chocolate and coffee fudge cakes drizzled with Bourbon chocolate sauce alongside a shot of espresso poured over a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.