Chocolate Brownies

It is difficult to find a full proof chocolate brownie recipe. I have tried and tested many recipes and finally created the perfect recipe. Its simple and easy to follow and you can create numerous variations. Its perfect for your next dinner party and your guests will never believe that you baked them by yourself.

Ingredients
500g butter
400g dark chocolate
100g chopped nuts
150g cocoa powder
130g cake flour
2 tsp baking flour
700g sugar
8 eggs
50g extra dark chocolate for dry mixture

Method
Beat eggs and sugar
Melt butter and chocolate in microwave, add to egg mixture
Mix dry ingredients, add to egg mixture
Mix and bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30-45 minutes.

You can create variations by substituting the chopped nuts for tinned cherries, marshmallows, Oreo's or rainbow vermicelli.

Let me know if you enjoyed this recipe or ask any questions in the comment section below.

Until next time.

Meraki

Acorns scattered the worn out pavement of the Cape Dutch streets of Stellenbosch, as we walked in search of coffee we came across one of the prettiest little eatery hidden away at number 38 Ryneveld Street.

Intrigued by the bustling little haven of students, tourists, business men and women we decided to abandon our usual cafe and try out the charming Meraki. Mouth watering treats lined the glass cake case. The dainty cakes looked as if they belonged in an contemporary art gallery.  

We sat at a table next to the window where we could watch the busy eatery and took in the aroma of freshly baked goods. Cute little jar with fresh pennygum sitting on a collection of marble and wooden tables made it the perfect scene to take the must have Instagram photos. 

The waitress was delightful. Having friendly staff is what makes a eatery in my opinion, it doesn't matter what the food tastes like as long as the service is good.

We started off with the iced coffee as we needed something to quench our thirst on such a hot day. The waitress arrived with the cutest glass jar, which made it even better, of iced coffee. It was amazing! I am very fussy about my iced coffee which makes me reluctant to order it as does not always live up to my coffee expectations but this cup exceeded my expectations.

Meraki has two set menus, breakfast and lunch. The menu was simple with the basics which is always good. One of my favorite meals to cook at home is eggs benedict so I always order it when I am out for breakfast as I love seeing different peoples takes on such a classic dish. One thing that I struggle with when making my eggs benedict is keeping everything warm as their are so many components to the perfect eggs benedict.

This was something I was looking forward to but unfortunately I was disappointed that Meraki's was cold. As I cant even keep mine warm, I was okay with it as I knew how difficult it is to keep warm and they did a phenomenal job with the rest of the components. The eggs were poached to perfection and the Hollandaise sauce had a pleasant smoothness of butter blended perfectly with the yolks. It was a spectacular melt-in-your-mouth meal.

I decided to then have something sweet to satisfies my sweet tooth. After much deliberation I decided to stick with my favorite, baked cheesecake. As I took my first experimental bite my tastebuds practically sang at the explosion of flavors. It was definitely one of the best cheesecakes that I have had in a long time and I will recommend it to anyone.

My overall experience was phenomenal. I would definitely recommend Meraki to anyone. Its the perfect place to meet with friends or even just grab a quick meal. The staff all have bright smiles that radiate the positive energy in the eatery and even though they look busy you wont wait long for a table as their turnover time is superbly speedy. 

Well done Meraki, I can not wait until my next visit to try your new Milktart doughnuts. What a lovely way to put a twist on a classic South African Milktart. I am counting down the days.

Until Next Time!

Honest Chocolate Café