"Brownies and sponge cakes are opposites. For a sponge you are doing everything for ethereal lightness: whipping in air, keeping it through careful folding, then using leavening agents to expand those air bubbles in the oven. In a brownie you want squidgy, fudgy richness, so the reverse is called for: damp sugars, a molten batter, teetering towards the edge of undercooking. 

These brownies are particularly good because they are intensely chocolaty without veering into truffle territory. There are a few tricks for this: first, a high ratio of dark chocolate along with an additional kick of cocoa powder. Second, wholemeal flour to give a slight nubbly heft, just enough to add interest. Finally, a couple of flavour enhancers – chilli and smoked salt both serve to lift and intensify the chocolate flavour without taking over. Choose a Mexican ground chilli such as pasilla or ancho, which bring a mild, complex warmth that matches the chocolate wonderfully. If using a chilli like cayenne, which is more about heat than flavour, scale back to a couple of pinches."

Makes 12 brownies

Printed with kind permission from Eleanor Ford's A Whisper of Cardamom, published by Murdoch Books

SPICE SWITCH

Take the chilli-spiked brownies in the direction of Mexican hot chocolate by dusting the tops with cinnamon after cooking.