“Möchtest du ein Stück Schokoladenkuchen zu deinem Kaffee?” fragte ich.
“Ein großes Stück. Und schon vor dem Kaffee. Der Winter macht gefräßig. Wenn Schnee auf den Straßen liegt, ist Schokoladenkuchen wie Medizin.”

Shadows in Paradise by Erich Maria Remarque

I have already written how I feel in winter. I will write again: I feel very comfortable in winter, especially in snowy times. I am in love with the hard winter frosts of December and January. And even if the icy wind scratches my cheeks like sandpaper and the snow covers the streets so that it is difficult to walk, something still triumphs in me. I don’t know why, but I’m infinitely in love with the snowstorms and the cold.

Es schneite am nächsten Tag. Abends waren die Straßen weiß, und die Wolkenkratzer sahen aus wie riesige Bienenkörbe voll Schnee und Licht. Der Verkehr wurde gedämpfter, und es schneite ununterbrochen weiter. Ich spielte Schach mit Melikow, als Natascha hereinkam. Ihre Haare und ihre Kapuze waren mit Schnee behängen. 

In times of snow and frost, another thing is also wonderful: the winter menu. All these hot drinks with generous portions of alcohol and thick, rich desserts invite you to sit down in a comfortable armchair by the fireplace and stay there. The heroes of “Shadows in Paradise,” the German Robert Ross and the French with Russian roots Natasha Petrovna, spent the cold winter days in a New York hotel room, where they treated their torn feelings with a chocolate cake.

Wenn Schnee auf den Straßen liegt, ist Schokoladenkuchen wie Medizin.

This quote can be used as an inscription for winter evenings. In fact, it even feels warm and comfortable to pronounce.

I want to believe, however, that he wrote about brownies. First, it’s hard to find a more chocolatier chocolate dessert (other than the French fondant, maybe). Secondly, this sweet easily transforms from cake to brownies, and Robert and Natasha cut themselves a piece. And finally, the brownie was invented in America. According to some sources, the dessert was first prepared by the chef at Chicago’s legendary Palmer House hotel. Other sources consider the author of the Boston Cooking School’s recipe book to be its inventor. In any case, if you were to imagine snow-covered New York at the end of World War II, then brownie would fit into this picture more organically than any other chocolate dessert.

Recipe of the brownie

Ingredients:

Chocolate with cocoa content of 70% – 250 gr.
Brown sugar – 250 gr.
Butter – 200 gr.
Flour – 112 gr.
Cream with a fat content of 33% – 110 gr.
Eggs – 160 gr. (About 3 eggs)
Salt – a pinch
Vanilla extract

Optimal:
Walnuts (70 gr.) and roasted hazelnuts (70 gr.)
Cream or coffee liqueur
Instant coffee

Cooking Method:

1. Melt the chopped chocolate and chopped butter together in a water bath or in the microwave. Mix.

2. In a bowl, whisk the eggs lightly to mix the whites and yolks, add salt and sugar. Then add cream and vanilla extract. Pour the chocolate mass into the bowl. Mix everything well again with a whisk.

3. Sift the flour on top and mix. In the end, add chopped nuts and liqueur or coffee as desired. The mass should be uniform in color.

4. Line a square or rectangular baking dish with parchment paper and lay out the dough. It should be about 3 cm high. Put in an oven preheated to 180˚C for 30-40 minutes until a hard crust forms.

The brownie should remain slightly under-baked and slightly damp on the inside; that’s how it will not lose the silk texture of the chocolate.

5. Remove the finished cake from the oven, cool, and cut into squares. Before serving, you can sprinkle the sweet with powdered sugar or cocoa or decorate it with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream.