BAKE of the week

Vegan cook Ella Mills says this is one of her most popular sweet recipes at her deli. It features in her latest book, Deliciously Ella: The Plant-based Cookbook, published by Yellow Kite. These brownies are really gooey and fudgy and she loves the crunchy bites of walnuts on top.

You’ll need

● 1 tablespoon chia seeds

● 250g buckwheat flour

● 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

● pinch of sea salt

● 60g cacao powder

● 330g coconut sugar

● 100ml almond milk

● 130g coconut oil, melted

● handful of walnuts, chopped

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (fan 170°C). Line a 25 x 18 x 4cm baking tin with baking parchment.

2. Place the chia seeds in a bowl with four tablespoons of water. Mix well then leave to one side for 10 minutes to thicken up.

3. Place the flour, bicarb, salt, cacao powder and coconut sugar into a large bowl and mix well to remove any lumps.

4. Next, add the almond milk, chia mixture and melted coconut oil and mix well for 5–6 minutes to ensure everything is well combined.

5. Pour the mixture into the lined tin and sprinkle with the walnuts.

6. Bake for 25–30 minutes, until cooked through but still a little fudgy in the middle.

7. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack, before cutting into brownies.