Brownies with cream cheese and cherries

Tip: tap a step to mark it as done.

1. Break the chocolate into pieces and place it in a bowl with the butter. Melt over a water bath.

2. Beat 2 eggs with 50 g of the sugar until foamy, then add a pinch of salt and the vanilla sugar. Mix in the melted chocolate and beat thoroughly again with an electric mixer. Using a wooden spoon, gradually fold in the flour mixed with the baking powder. The batter will be stiff, so gradually pour in the milk, stirring constantly, until the batter is soft and spreads easily.

3. Grease a pan about 21 cm in diameter with butter and pour in 1/3 of the batter.

   In another bowl, beat the cream cheese with the remaining sugar and 2 eggs using an electric mixer until creamy.

4. Spread half of the cream cheese mixture over the first 1/3 of the batter and arrange cherries on top. Add the second third of the batter, followed by the remaining cream cheese mixture and cherries. Spread the remaining batter over the top and smooth the surface.

   Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C (350°F) for 40–50 minutes. Remove the baked brownies from the oven and let cool.

5. Cut the cooled brownies into slices and serve.

Tip: Pit fresh cherries and let them drain briefly in a strainer. Out of season, use canned cherries, but drain off their juice thoroughly so the cream cheese layer does not become watery.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Brownies so smotanovým syrom a čerešňami