We are pleased to announce that Cheten was the the winner of RDT’s Bake Off Final with his delicious traditional chocolate brownie recipe from the Hummingbird Bakery.

We started the competition with our own Great Sausage Roll Bake off over a 3 week period with teams of three and the finalists were then tasked to bake something sweet as we were fed up and full up of sausage rolls by then.

The finalists baked some amazing cakes with our novice bakers producing a lovely Easter chocolate cake, lemon drizzle cake and choc chip brownies.

Everyone was asked to score based on technical ability, look and taste and the winner was Cheten with his chocolate brownies but it was a close call.

It has been a fun office competition but I think it’s now time for us to get healthy! Oh no, maybe not, Easter is just around the corner!

The winning recipe is below:

Hummingbird Bakery’s Traditional Brownie Recipe

With just 5 ingredients, a traditional American brownie recipe calls for them to be chewy, chocolatey and dense (which they were), but choosing optional fillings can be the best part.

Makes: 12
Prep time: 15 Mins
Cook time: 20 Mins

Ingredients for Cheten’s Recipe

200 g dark and white chocolate (roughly chopped)
175 g unsalted butter
325 g caster sugar
130 g plain flour
3 eggs
icing sugar, to decorate

Directions

Preheat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark and line a 23 x 5 baking tray with greaseproof paper.

1. Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not let the base of the bowl touch the water). Leave until melted and smooth.

2. Remove from the heat. Add the sugar and stir until well incorporated. Add the flour and stir until well incorporated. Finally, stir in the eggs and mix until thick and smooth.

3. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, or until flaky on the top but still soft in the centre. Be careful not to overcook otherwise the edges will become hard and crunchy. Leave to cool completely before dusting with icing sugar, to decorate.

The Hummingbird Bakery chocolate brownies recipe doesn’t include nuts, but you can add walnuts or pecan nuts if you like to add some extra crunch and saltiness.

Raisins or raspberries can provide a welcome burst of freshness, and adding chia seeds, oats or flaxseeds to the mix can pack in extra nutrients and play with texture, but our recommendation is to just to the traditional brownie recipe; classic, simple and timeless.

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