Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies — Brownies marbrés au cheesecake

July 15, 2007

cheesecake chocolate brownie

Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies

Two recipes in One, or Introducing Amaranth Flour

P. and I were thrilled when we heard that our great friend A. was in town with his son N. We met them both exactly nine years ago, on Devereaux Beach in Marblehead, thirty minutes North of Boston. I had only moved to Boston then, and I remember telling P. “ils sont français” when I saw them play on that beach. There were the swimming suits that helped, but also this je-ne-sais-quoi about how they interacted that convinced me that they were French. We started chatting and exchanged phone numbers. I love this memory of our first encounter. We have been great friends since then.

Because A. used to live in Boston for quite many years, we were looking forward to spending time together like we used to in the old days. We would talk about life here, with things that have or haven’t changed, and about Paris too, because this is where A. and N. have now been living for many years. Our plans for the evening were loose. We knew that we wanted an easy and simple dinner, probably a Thai restaurant where P. likes to have lunch and where we all indulged in plates of delicious drunken noodles, and I decided to bring dessert for us to share later in the evening. Since I had not been given much notice and was left short of time, I grabbed the opportunity to prepare a quick recipe from Epicurious, which I had marked “to try” a month ago: Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies. The experience was fun. Contrary to other recipes that I would typically try from my zillions of cookbooks, I particularly enjoyed reading comments left from previous readers that had tried the recipe. The recipe was scoring a 3 1/2 out of 4, from 28 readers. A lot of people mentioned that the brownie batter was not chocolaty enough, some were fully thrilled, others disliked it altogether. Moi ? Well, I decided to adapt keeping in mind what I had just read, along with using my own judgment to modify some of the suggested steps:

This is What I Did:
  • I added more chocolate, although I also used 70% Valrhona chocolate instead of unsweetened as suggested in the original recipe.
  • I skipped the vanilla in the brownie batter.
  • I modified the way the brownie batter had been prepared, adding steps that I sensed would help for a better brownie result.
  • I sifted the flour.
  • I decreased the brownie preparation sugar content.
  • I cooked the brownies for 5 min less than suggested.
  • We ate them at room temperature.
  • I already did a variant, using Amaranth Flour** and White Rice Flour, with more chocolate again, a touch less butter, making for a great Gluten-Free version. It is my father-in-law who will be pleased! He is coeliac.

In a few words, we really all thought that they were great — well I think, since by 11 pm, nothing was left! I particularly enjoyed the balance between chocolate and cheesecake, one not overpowering the other (I would always go for more chocolate if asked). I am already looking forward to trying even more variants of the recipe, following whims of mine — I have tons of ideas — and hoping for a new visit of A. and N. soon. Or maybe next time, it will have to happen on my next trip to Paris in the fall, where I am sure I can easily bring in a batch of these cheesecake-marbled brownies. If I was able to bring Jeep shocks for my brother without the customs agents raising their eyebrows, brownies will be a piece of cake, won’t they? But then, in my own experience, you can really bring anything to France…

**Amaranth Flour is a type of flour obtained from seeds coming from the Amaranth plant. It is a great source of protein, manganese, magnesium, calcium, fiber and iron (higher than wheat), with a mild peppery and nutty flavor. It can be found in health stores.

Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies, adapted from Epicurious

For about 16 brownies

You need:

For the Brownie Batter:

  • 3 oz chocolate 70% cocoa (I used Valrhona)
  • 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, diced
  • 3/4 cup cane sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • Pinch of salt


For the Cheesecake Batter:

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used Philadelphia)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/3 cup cane sugar
  • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Steps:

  • To prepare the cheesecake batter, mix all ingredients together, to obtain a smooth creamy texture. Keep.
  • Preheat your oven at 350 F.
  • Line an 8 x 8 inch pan with parchment paper.
  • To prepare the chocolate batter, melt the chocolate and butter in a double-boiler. Let slightly cool.
  • Beat together the eggs and sugar with a pinch of salt until light and pale in color.
  • Add 2 Tbsp chocolate first, then fold in the rest of the chocolate, trying to keep the preparation as light as possible.
  • Sprinkle the flour on top, and fold in delicately.
  • Pour the preparation in the pan.
  • Add the cheesecake batter on top and make a swirly design in it using a fork or knife.
  • Cook in the oven for 30 min. At this point, the brownies will be slightly gooey still. If you prefer them more cooked, increase the cooking time by 5 min or more.
  • Let cool in the pan before cutting, and if any are left, store them wrapped in the fridge, bringing to room temperature before eating.
Amaranth and Rice Flour
Cheesecake-Marbled Brownies
(Gluten Free Variant)

For the Brownie Batter:

  • 3.5 oz chocolate 70% cocoa (I used Valrhona)
  • 1/3 cup Amaranth flour, sifted
  • 1/3 cup White Rice Flour, sifted
  • 1 tsp xanthan gum (optional)
  • 7 Tbsp unsalted butter, diced
  • 3/4 cup cane sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • Pinch of salt


For the Cheesecake Batter:

  • 8 oz cream cheese, softened (I used Philadelphia)
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1/3 cup cane sugar
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract

Follow the same steps.

Le coin français
Brownies marbrés au cheesecake, adapté d’Epicurious

Pour environ 16 brownies

Ingrédients :

Pour la pâte de brownies :

  • 85 g de chocolat noir à 70% (J’ai utilisé Valrhona)
  • 90 g de farine, tamisée
  • 113 g de beurre non salé, coupé en dés
  • 150 g de sucre de canne blond
  • 2 gros oeufs
  • Pincée de sel


Pour la pâte de cheesecake :

  • 230 g de cream cheese (type Philadelphia), ramolli (à défaut, utilisez un mélange de crème fraîche épaisse et de fromage frais, type Carré frais par exemple)
  • 1 gros jaune d’oeuf
  • 65 g de sucre de canne blond
  • 1/4 càc d’extrait de vanille pur

Étapes :

  • Pour préparer la pâte de cheesecake, mélangez tous les ingrédients ensemble pour obtenir une crème de texture lisse. Réservez.
  • Préchauffez votre four à 180 C.
  • Recouvrez un moule mesurant 20 x 20 cm de papier sulfurisé.
  • Pour préparer la pâte de brownies, faites fondre le chocolat et le beurre au bain-marie. Laissez légèrement refroidir.
  • Battez les oeufs avec le sucre et le sel jusqu’à blanchiment.
  • Ajoutez 2 càs de chocolat fondu et mélangez avant d’incorporer délicatement le reste. Faites attention à garder la préparation aussi aérée que possible.
  • Saupoudrez de farine et incorporez-la délicatement.
  • Versez cette préparation dans le moule.
  • Ajoutez la pâte de cheesecake dessus et faites un dessin avec une fourchette ou un couteau.
  • Cuisez au four pendant 30 min. A ce stade, les brownies seront encore un peu coulants au milieu. Si vous les préférez plus cuits, augmentez le temps de cuisson de 5 min, ou plus.
  • Laissez refroidir dans le plat avant de découper. Conservez-les emballés au frigo, et sortez-les à l’avance pour les déguster à température ambiante.
Brownies marbrés au cheesecake
aux farines d’Amaranth et de riz blanc
recette sans gluten

Pour la pâte de brownies :

  • 100 g de chocolat noir à 70% (J’ai utilisé Valrhona)
  • 45 g de farine d’Amaranth, tamisée
  • 45 g de farine de riz blanc, tamisée
  • 1 càc de gomme xanthane (facultatif)
  • 100 g de beurre non salé, coupé en dés
  • 150 g de sucre de canne blond
  • 2 gros oeufs
  • Pincée de sel


    • Pour la pâte de cheesecake :

  • 230 g de cream cheese (type Philadelphia), ramolli (à défaut, utilisez un mélange de crème fraîche épaisse et de fromage frais, type Carré frais par exemple)
  • 1 gros jaune d’oeuf
  • 65 g de sucre de canne blond
  • 1 càs de maïzena
  • 1/4 càc d’extrait de vanille pur

Suivez les mêmes étapes.

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Tagged as: Cakes , Chocolate , Dessert , Gluten Free
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53 Comments »

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  1. wonderful adaptation! the photos are making drool too!

    Comment by Kat — On July, 15th, 2007 at 7:29 pm

  2. What a creative idea,the marble brownies looks awesome

    Comment by Sylvia — On July, 15th, 2007 at 8:46 pm

  3. This looks absolutely delicious. I just love reading the comments at epicurious.com, it’s part of the fun of using their recipes.

    Comment by Mary — On July, 15th, 2007 at 8:48 pm

  4. *de-lurks* I love your blog, but this is my first comment :)
    these look incredibe Béa ! I can’t wait to try the recipe. I really love the colours in your photographs too

    Comment by Lisa — On July, 15th, 2007 at 10:17 pm

  5. I cannot thank you enough for this recipe!! Just recently, I had a chocolate log marbled with cream cheese and I was bowled over, vowing to try and replicate it because the lady who made it doesn’t sell the stuff. I have to try this one. :)

    Comment by Christine — On July, 15th, 2007 at 10:39 pm

  6. Justement, je cherchais un brownie fromager! Je me lève et je tombe sur ta recette! Voilà une journée qui commence bien ;-)

    Comment by Lisanka — On July, 16th, 2007 at 12:09 am

  7. C’est drôle, je pense que c’est lié à ce temps pourri que nous avons eu en ce début d’été: j’ai l’impression que tout le monde a craqué pour toutes les merveilles les plus terriblement tentantes d’internet au chocolat!! je n’ai pas arrêté moi même et voilà que tu me donnes encore une raison de recommencer: je n’ai pas encore testé cette version!!

    Comment by alhya — On July, 16th, 2007 at 1:04 am

  8. Jamais fait mais c’est toujours très beau un cheesecake marbré !

    Comment by Tiuscha — On July, 16th, 2007 at 1:12 am

  9. Those brownies look amazing! I recently tried making cream cheese brownies but wasn’t entirely happy with how they turned out. Not cream cheese-y enough for me to make it worth adding the cream cheese. But since you thought these were good and I still have hope for finding a delicious cream cheese brownie recipe, I will save yours. :) I’ve also been intrigued recently by amaranth flour so I appreciate your little writeup about it. I will buy some soon.

    Comment by ashley — On July, 16th, 2007 at 1:49 am

  10. Une recette alléchante! I still haven’t tried this version of brownies, but will soon have to, (especially after I have seen yours) ;-P!
    Great pictures and bars…

    Comment by Rosa — On July, 16th, 2007 at 2:03 am

  11. J’avais également publié une recette de ce genre http://porcinette07.canalblog.com/archives/2007/05/21/5028219.html c’est d’un effet superbe !

    Comment by Cat — On July, 16th, 2007 at 5:42 am

  12. Très très tentant !

    Comment by bergeou — On July, 16th, 2007 at 6:11 am

  13. I love how these look. I don’t eat cheese, but I simply adore the marbled effect on this. Great job (as always), Bea! ;)

    Comment by ovenhaven — On July, 16th, 2007 at 7:00 am

  14. I love that you experimenting with different flours. I have always wanted to do that but never had the time or courage to go ahead with it. But of course you are always an inspiration Bea!

    Comment by jenjen — On July, 16th, 2007 at 8:59 am

  15. How exciting! Experimentation rules!

    Comment by Jerry — On July, 16th, 2007 at 9:13 am

  16. I had bookmarked this same recipe, but had not made it yet, because of some of the reviews. So I am delighted to see you did all of the experimenting for me!

    Comment by courtney — On July, 16th, 2007 at 9:55 am

  17. Absolutely gorgeous! I’m yet to make a brownie recipe, but it must be done soon :)

    Comment by Ellie — On July, 16th, 2007 at 10:27 am

  18. J’en ai aussi fait un recemment adapté de la recette de Rose Bakery et j’avais beaucoup aimé… et les autres aussi…
    Il ne me reste plus qu’à tester ta version à l’occasion

    Comment by loukoum°°° — On July, 16th, 2007 at 11:29 am

  19. Does cream cheese exist in France? I made some cheese cakes in france, and I tried all the cheeses to see whihc would be cream cheese, i ended up with those little kiri squares, opening up 3 boxes of 12 squares for one cheesecake :-)

    Comment by pessy — On July, 16th, 2007 at 11:39 am

  20. Brownies and cheesecake: two of our favorites. If I show this recipe to my husband, he will say Yum!

    I would like to try your recipe with a more sophisticated cheese than Philadelphia. La Prunelle, a Montreal restaurant bakes their cheese cake with Saint-Honoré cheese. Divine. Saint-Honore cheesecake marbled brownies sounds promising. The saltier taste of the cheese would complement the dark chocolate taste. I will keep you posted on the results.

    Comment by At home with Kim Vallee — On July, 16th, 2007 at 11:52 am

  21. I love cheesecake brownies and yours look fabulous!

    Comment by Deborah — On July, 16th, 2007 at 12:38 pm

  22. Wow! It looks super delicious. Your brownies are very beautiful.

    Comment by The Cooking Ninja — On July, 16th, 2007 at 2:14 pm

  23. Beautiful photos as always! Very nice to have a guide for comparing the finished product. Although I have a weakness for baked sweets, baking is a gap in my culinary skill set. Just have to practice more and it will come! Thank you for your generosity!

    Comment by Glenn Blakney — On July, 16th, 2007 at 7:55 pm

  24. I always love to read what people write on epicurious, I find it very helpful when I make their recipes. I always try to make comments too in hopes it will help someone.
    Fabulous brownies!

    Comment by peabody — On July, 17th, 2007 at 2:53 am

  25. Oh là là ! Que c’est beau ! :))

    Comment by Karine — On July, 17th, 2007 at 6:50 am

  26. Béa
    I don’t know what it is about coming here. I’m not really a sweet person but your things (maybe it’s your words as much as the photos) always seem soothing. I really like the looks of these brownies and especially the insight into how you changed things.

    Comment by MyKitchhenInHalfCups — On July, 17th, 2007 at 7:02 am

  27. i’m in love when i first to see this Marbled Brownies~

    so yummy!

    Comment by YOYO's Food — On July, 17th, 2007 at 9:56 am

  28. Should put some peppermint patties in ‘em!

    Comment by Jeff — On July, 17th, 2007 at 12:00 pm

  29. ben voila, le paradis réincarné en biscuit, ca donne ca ;-)

    Comment by Claude-Olivier — On July, 17th, 2007 at 12:10 pm

  30. These cheesecake brownies look beautiful…not to mention, delicious! I love browsing Epicurious for recipes, and have found many that are now in my list of tried and true. These will go on my must try list as well. :-) I love your photos!

    Comment by Belinda — On July, 17th, 2007 at 1:34 pm

  31. I made these Brownies last month, also with a reduced amount of sugar. We liked them a lot :-)
    http://peho.typepad.com/chili_und_ciabatta/2007/06/marmorierte-bro.html

    Comment by Petra — On July, 17th, 2007 at 2:03 pm

  32. Oh my, so very, very, very pretty.
    Great post.

    Comment by Wendy — On July, 17th, 2007 at 3:41 pm

  33. Thanks a lot all. Merci a tous. Hope you have as much fun as I did playing with them!

    Comment by Béa — On July, 17th, 2007 at 4:41 pm

  34. When I opened this up Béa, I had to laugh as they looked just like our Marbled Chocolate Cheesecake Slice! Then I read a bit further and went to the link on epicurious and went mmmm. I wonder if this recipe was originally on the back of a Kraft Philly pack as we got this recipe off a friend 15 odd years ago and she had been making it for at least 5 years before that and we live in Australia. mmmm.

    This slice always proves to be a hit wherever we take it and are always asked for the recipe.

    Comment by Helen — On July, 17th, 2007 at 4:49 pm

  35. Decadent. I’ll have to try the gluten free version. Thank you for sharing the recipe you made for your father.

    Sheltie Girl

    Comment by Sheltie Girl — On July, 18th, 2007 at 7:18 am

  36. I made these, too, although I didn’t alter the recipe as much–only decreased the sugar a little. They turned out so well, they changed my mind abt brownies that aren’t all chocolate!

    Comment by lucette — On July, 18th, 2007 at 12:11 pm

  37. It’s a combination of two of my favourite things, super!

    Comment by brilynn — On July, 19th, 2007 at 3:18 pm

  38. Bonjour ! Extraordinaire. splendide . Beautiful photos as always.
    I’m yet to make this recipe,but it must be done soon. Merci a tous.

    Comment by Ambreen — On July, 21st, 2007 at 1:03 am

  39. This does appear deciously tasty. Not a great cook but when I a see a delicate work of art as this, I give a standing ovation.

    Y u m m y!

    Keep up the good work

    Comment by Oladeji — On July, 21st, 2007 at 3:18 pm

  40. Cheesecake just fits with everything, doesn’t it? My wonderful discovery was adding it on top of muffins - only that…it kind of makes you want to eat the top part and then take another muffin! But with brownies - there wouldn’t be such problem, i guess…:)

    Comment by evelin — On July, 25th, 2007 at 7:51 pm

  41. Hi,
    I am a french reader, living in San Francisco. I was very happy to try this recipe which makes me think of “black bottom cupcakes”. I slightly reduced the amount of sugar…, this was delicious! Thanks (for the pictures too!).

    Comment by aurelie — On July, 30th, 2007 at 7:48 pm

  42. [...] in case things turn a little sour, I’m taking some of my homemade blackcurrant jam with and these delicious little scrumpets, which had Mr P dribbling at the chops and is bound to help even the [...]

    Pingback by Cooking for the Masses « lick your own bowl — On August, 1st, 2007 at 11:08 pm

  43. Bea,
    these brownies look delicious - I must give them a try sometimes. Plus I’ve never used amaranth flour and I’m very very very curious.

    Love xxx
    - fanny

    Comment by fanny — On August, 18th, 2007 at 12:33 pm

  44. This recipe is fantastic! but i did some changes..I mix all ingredientes together , and i also use mascarpone instead of philadelfia..et voilá..a wonderfull chocolat cake!

    Comment by rita — On August, 27th, 2007 at 7:21 am

  45. [...] (ora che ci penso l’ho visto per la prima volta su Gourmet, poi anche da Tartelette, e da Bea), insomma, la cosa mi ha intrigata. E il resto della storia, beh, lo vedete qui… [...]

    Pingback by Cheesecake + brownie = ?? | il cavoletto di bruxelles — On September, 7th, 2007 at 2:25 am

  46. Recette testée et carrés nettement moins jolis que les tiens mais très bons. Merci

    Comment by PHILO — On September, 28th, 2007 at 12:29 pm

  47. I am making the brownies right now. Without the cheesecake. They are in the oven. :-)

    I was looking for a good brownie recipe and thought this would be the ideal place to look them up!

    Comment by Megh — On October, 9th, 2007 at 5:17 am

  48. Oh.. mine have turned out too sweet :-( oops
    I dont know why

    Comment by Megh — On October, 9th, 2007 at 5:28 am

  49. [...] visto questa torta postata su diversi blog, per esempio qui e qui, e mi aveva ispirato soprattutto per la sua bellezza… poi ho scoperto che la ricetta era [...]

    Pingback by La torta tanto a lungo desiderata | Cipollina in agrodolce… — On December, 13th, 2007 at 9:20 am

  50. Loved this one!!!! Im no great cooker, but was soo easy and tasty. Served with berryes jelly. yummmm

    Comment by Cima — On September, 12th, 2008 at 1:07 am

  51. [...] was the case with mine (ugh, could be the oven again ..). After reading some of the modifications Beatrice did, I also tried out the 70% chocolate version because I rather like this than unsweetened [...]

    Pingback by cuttheline » Cheesecake-marbled Brownies — On September, 14th, 2008 at 9:42 am

  52. So wonderful to see such a lovely gluten free version. Brilliant!

    Comment by Simply...Gluten-free — On September, 25th, 2008 at 11:53 am

  53. Made them yesterday, they tested really good. Thank you :)

    Comment by Alessandra — On November, 14th, 2008 at 12:54 pm

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