How do you treat your wedding anniversary? I treat it more like a day for introspection. When life starts for a couple, it is all rosy, irrespective of how rocky the start may be. We started our married life on some twists and turns but we lived through it, we enjoyed through it, we took life one day at a time. 3 years later, Rasha showed up into our life. I don’t know if I will call her the turn-around point, but how much ever I think otherwise, she is. HD started going into his own route of doing business and it is the same till date.
Life has been a bit too fast, with very limited time that we get to spend with each other and more often, it is a fight for that little time we get. It is not easy if the hard work you do doesn’t show results and it seeps into all time available. Sometimes I wish HD would have been employed like he was at the beginning but then all of us know that if men have known the sweetness of being fiercely independent, they would continue to keep it and go with it. It’s been 14 years since we have got married and despite the ups and downs, I don’t think there is any other way I would like to see both of us – growing old together, fighting and making it up… 😀
I am still deciding what to bake for this anniversary – here are a few bakes I did for the past few years:
Mini Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake
I am planning to do something out of my comfort zone, hoping that I get to do it and be successful too… 🙂
Meanwhile, let me leave you all with this brownie cake. Very interesting name, isn’t it? There are times when you are confused whether to have a brownie or a cake. I always love fudge brownies, but love fudge cakes too. When I saw this recipe, I wanted to really try it. I kept it pending till my birthday. OK, now don’t ask me when it is. For a hint, it comes in the next two months. So you can imagine this cake waited for it’s chance to appear on the blog. 😀
The way the batter is processed is very similar to brownies, melting and whisking. The recipe calls for golden syrup, but I am sure you can easily replace it with honey and follow the same process. Next time, I would skip the sugar for sure. I found it quite sweet, but I guess for most of you, the sweetness with the brown sugar would be apt. The nuts were my addition since I like nutty brownies. There is one word of caution though – do not over-bake! I forgot to take the cake off the oven and it did turn a little hard. 🙁 So do start checking after 30 minutes. Once the skewer comes out clean with a few crumbs, just pull out and let it cool.
I would also suggest not to miss the glaze on top. It is the crown to this wonderful cake. One big slice with a cup of strong black coffee – yes, I prefer black coffee with chocolate as it cuts through the sweetness and somehow amplifies the chocolate flavor. 🙂 Off to the recipe…
Chocolate Brownie Cake
Ingredients
- 100 gm butter
- 175 gm golden syrup
- 170 gm dark chocolate chips
- 50 gm brown sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 125 gm flour
- 120 gm mixed nuts walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts
- FOR THE GLAZE:
- 85 gm dark chocolate
- 30 gm butter
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Grease and flour an 8 inch pan.
- On low heat, melt the butter and golden syrup. Take off the heat and whisk in the chocolate and sugar. Mix till the chocolate melts and the sugar is dissolved.
- Once the mixture is slightly cooled, whisk in the eggs and vanilla extract.
- Fold in the flour and then the mixed nuts.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes till skewer comes out clean.
- Cool in pan for 10 minutes before flipping onto the cooling rack to cool completely.
- For glaze, combine all ingredients in a saucepan and cool on low flame till all melted and homogenous. Spread on the top of the cake. Allow to cool
- Slice and serve with a cup of black coffee!
Notes
Skip the nuts if not very keen.
If you don't have golden syrup, you can try replacing it with honey.
Looks luscious and heavenly with all the nuts!
Thanks a lot Angie…
Looks wonderful Rafee!! xoxo
Thanks a lot Gloria…
Happy Anniversary!
Wow that sounds decadent with all that chocolate, butter & golden syrup!
Thank you so much Bibi…
I love a good brownie and this one looks perfect!
Thanks a lot Beulah…
Looks so good.. a treat for everyone.
Thanks a lot Shobhaji…
Excellent and very irresistible cake. I can have a huge slice of this cake. Absolutely decandent.
Thank you so much Priyaakka…
Happy Anniversary! Cake is the best way to celebrate any occasion like birthday or anniversary. Kids and adults will enjoy in one baked desserts
Thank you so much Uma…
Who doesn’t love this chocolate brownie cake? Even the chocolate haters love this! 😉 Your version looks fantastic.
Thank you so much Jolly… 🙂
Happy anniversary dear. This chocolate brownie cake is a perfect treat for the special occasion. Drool worthy share.
Thank you so much Sujata…
Happy anniversary! 💐 This yummy cake is perfect treat to make any occasion super special! I love all the nuts going in and that very glossy glaze. Save me a slice! 😋
Thank you so much Maria… 😀
Happy Anniversary, Rafeeda! A marvellous cake for a special occassion. Loved your detailed explanation, commentary, and substitute suggestions.
Enjoyed reading your reminisces as well. Life is journey flavoured with many many different experiences as you say.
Thank you so much Aruna…
Happy anniversary, Rafeeda 🙂 This brownie cake looks so decadent and perfect for any occasion 🙂
Thank you so much Freda… 🙂
I would like this a lot. Baking is my passion. What can be replaced with Golden syrup?
I have already mentioned the replacement in the notes as well as the post as well – you can use honey. Thanks a lot Avin…
Happy Anniversary dear! Brownie cake sounds and looks like a perfect dessert to celebrate your togetherness albeit all the ups and downs which are part of any marriage 🙂 Fabulous share!
Thank you so much Vanithaji… 🙂
Life is a roller Coaster Rafee.. Some ups and many downs thats the way I have seen it too. In the end, sticking together is what matters the most. Having the shoulder to support your spouse is no small feat. Kudos to you and Allah will always bless you for that. No matter how they are, always remember they do everything for us. Wishing you a very Happy Anniversary (though I wished you on insta) and praying that you both stay together through thick and thin, Inshallah! Coming to the brownies, you are exactly like me – Nuts Yes and Black Coffee super yes. Also saw your other links to the super creations over the past years, must say awesome! I hope I lose some weight and bake some brownies too soon. Cheers to that!
It always helps to think of the positives when the negatives push itself in front, making it so tough to ignore. All of us are waiting to lose some weight so that we can bake and eat something that we like… hehe… Thanks a lot Vidya…
Happy Anniversary Rafeeda! When we read about somebody else, it feels all married couple have the same story to tell. You know initial few years of our married life, even we used to wonder on our every anniversary that we could get through another year. With time the relationship matures and then you feel Why all those silly fights.
While I was reading your post and looking at your brownie cake, I was literally feasting on it with my eyes and of course a cup of coffee in my hand 🙂 Such a decadent brownie cake…
Haha… the problem now is that social media shows that all is hunky dory with everybody, that you wonder if something is really wrong in your marriage… Thank you so much Ritu… 🙂
Happy Anniversary Rafeeda and wishing you many more to come. Eagerly waiting to see what new you tried this year.
I am totally a brownie person. And this brownie cake with nuts sounds awesome
Thank you so much Jyoti…
Happy Anniversary, wishing many years of togetherness. Cakes are perfect for celebration. This brownie cake , I do need one now.
Thank you so much Jayashree…
Hope you had a great day this time too! This is the perfect cake for any occasions such as wedding anniversary and birthdays.
Thank you so much Jagruti…
Brownies are my all time fav. Yours version look so yum 😋😋
Thank you so much Sasmita… 🙂
Haooy Anniversary dear, hope you enjoyed your day. The brownie cake looks perfect and chocolate is always the best dessert to celebrate any ocassion.
Thank you so much Sapana…
Oh! First of all, great blog. Very interesting and creative. I’m a big chocolate fan. Also, coffee is my addiction. So, this cake is perfect for me. It looks so tasty. I just want to try it right now. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us. I will try to make this cake as soon as possible. Who tried it?
Thank you so much Alex…