The Exploding Bakery’s amazingly gluten-free almond brownies

Prep time: 25 minutes Cook time: 30 minutes

Makes 15-20

The Exploding Bakery, run by two young men in Devon, makes traybakes you can order online – their glutenfree brownies are sensational. They also own The Exploding

Bakery Café in Exeter (explodingbakery.com).

INGREDIENTS

– 375g dark chocolate (50-70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces – 375g butter

– 300g caster sugar

– 6 medium eggs

– 225g ground almonds – 1 tbsp cocoa powder

(optional)

METHOD Preheat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas mark 5. Line a 22 x 33 x 5cm baking tin with 2 pieces of parchment paper so that each piece overhangs the edges to allow for easy removal. (To make this in a 20cm square tin, simply halve the recipe.)

Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water (making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water) or in a microwave, stirring occasionally until they are combined and silky smooth.

Pour the melted chocolate and butter into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, then add the sugar and give it a quick mix, letting the sugar dissolve a little.

Now add the eggs and beat until the mixture emulsifies.

Finally, fold in the ground almonds, cocoa powder (if desired) and 1 tsp salt, until fully combined, then pour into your lined tin. Bake for 25-30 minutes. The brownie should be just cooked when you take it out, with a little wobble in the middle.

These are best eaten while still warm in the middle (try with ice cream), but great cool with lashings of cream too. They keep for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container in the fridge.