Mascarpone Brownies

I haven't baked in so. long.

SO long.

And now I have.
And it was glorious.

I'm on holidays right now, so with ALL this spare time on my hands (not really, I feel like it's going by much too quickly), Mum asked me if I could make something with the leftover mascarpone we had in the fridge. I was keen also to find something to do with those limes in the fruit bowl that have been there since goodnessknowswhen, but a search of 'lime mascarpone recipes' only brought vaguely satisfying results. I settled then, due to my undeniable obsession with chocolate, and the 'one-bowl'ness of the recipe, for these mascarpone brownies. The limes will be used for something else, later… and who doesn't like chocolate?!

Just a few little notes. These are gluten free. Yes. I know. I converted… maybe a month ago? It's nothing serious, I haven't got celiac disease or anything, but since coming off gluten I've found that my stomach is a lot more settled. This recipe wasn't hard to convert - I just substituted plain flour for rice flour - but the consistency of the mixture is most likely different. Most of the recipes I post on here from now on will be gluten free, but whenever possible I will mention any adaptions possible for non-gluten-freers.
Also, all the weight measurements are in ounces. Despite me usually dealing in grams, I found it easier to do it this way due to the recipe, and the scales I used have both metric and imperial settings.

Chocolate Mascarpone Brownies with Chocolate Ganache

Adapted from Bake or Break and The Kitchn

For the Brownies

3 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

8 oz butter

½ cup cocoa, sifted

1 cup sugar

½ cup mascarpone, softened

3 large eggs

2 tsp vanilla essence

½ cup rice flour or plain flour, sifted

For the ganache

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 oz butter

6 Tbsp cream

To Make the Brownies

Preheat oven to 160°C. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with baking paper.
In a heatproof bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together until smooth. Take off the heat.
Add the cocoa and sugar to the chocolate mixture. By hand beat in the mascarpone, eggs and vanilla essence until smooth. Fold in the flour.
Pour batter into pan and spread the mixture evenly. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle of the brownie come out clean. Once cooked, take a potato masher and gently press down on top of the brownie to flatten any parts that may have risen more than others. Cool in pan on cooling rack.

To Make the Ganache

While the brownies are cooking, make your ganache

Place chocolate in a small bowl and set aside. In a small saucepan, heat the butter and cream over medium heat, stirring constantly. When almost boiling, pour this mixture over the chocolate. Leave to stand for 30 seconds, then stir until smooth.

When brownies are still warm, pour the ganache over top and spread evenly.

Place the brownies in the fridge until the ganache has set. Once completely cool, slice your brownie into squares, cleaning your knife after each cut for a cleaner finish.