I feel like many associate red velvet desserts with Valentine's day only. In reality, they are a great addition to any dessert platter, no matter what holiday or time of the year it is. These lovely, bright red brownies are chewy and dense, just like a brownie should be, but with a tiny tanginess from the buttermilk, which is traditional for red velvet desserts.
Now, since food colourings come in many different forms, you may need to experiment a bit in order to get the shade of red that you like. My personal experience with colouring desserts, particularly red ones, says that the best type of food colouring is the gel kid, closely followed by the liquid food colouring, although this may vary depending on the manufacturer.
Ingredients
75 grams butter
75 grams brown sugar
50 grams dark chocolate, chopped
1 medium egg
1 ½ tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon deep red gel food colouring
45 grams plain flour
Preparation
As with many brownies, start by melting together the chocolate, butter, and cocoa powder. Melt them over low heat, or in a double-boiler until smooth and silky. Heating the cocoa powder will enhance its flavour. Once melted, remove it from the heat, and let it cool down slightly, then add in the brown sugar. Whisk briefly, until the batter cools down enough so it does not scorch the egg, then add in the egg, and mix vigorously. Add in the buttermilk, vinegar, and the food colouring, and blend it well.
Finally, sift in the flour, and mix it gently, only until you can no longer see large streaks of flour. Take a small loaf pan (9x5”), line it with baking paper, then pour in the batter, and bake it in a preheated oven, at 170°C (340°F), for about 12-15 minutes. Make sure you check them with a toothpick, so they do not overbake. Once baked, remove them from the oven, let them cool down to your liking, I recommend letting them fully cool down, then serve with your favourite red velvet topping. Yields 2 generous servings.