so, i am not a huge sports fan. not a surprise if you know me, i’d way rather watch food network or a cash cab marathon. i know, tons of fun. luckily for me sean is not a football fan (of the american variety anyway, lets not bring up the world cup just yet…) so, we had a “not superbowl party, party”. we had all the obligatory snacks and brewed beverages required, but we watched scrubs and flight of the conchords instead. that is just how we roll. in the midst of all the excitement and preparation, i didn’t really take many photos, but i did snag a few of this brownie cake that i made. de-lightful. that is all you really need to know about it. i mean, come on brownie + cake + caramel + nuts? i know, not a lot else to say.

caramel-walnut topped brownie cake
adapted from baking:from my home to yours. the original recipe calls for peanuts. i like to be crazy and use walnuts instead and some espresso too. i also did not make mine in a springform as directed, but in two 6-inch rounds…which makes for a messier topping, but whatev anyway.

for the cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick unsalted butter cut into pieces
5 ounces coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

center rakc in oven and preheat to 350 F. butter an 8-inch round springform pan, dust with flour-tapping out excess and line bottom with buttered parchement. place pan on a baking sheet line with parchment.

whisk flour, baking soda and salt together, set aside.
set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. add chocolate, butter and espresso powder. stir occasionally until ingredients are melted and remove from heat.

i a large bowl whisk eggs and sugars until well blended. add corn syrup and vanilla, whisk until combined. next whisk in chocolate-butter mixture until just blended. gently stir in dry ingredients until just combined. the batter should be thick, smooth, and shiny. pour into prepared pan.

bake for 40-45 minutes or until tester comes out almost clean. transfer to a rack and cool for 15 minutes before removing from pan. the cake may have formed a crater…that is okay, plus it is a caramel catching crater. when it is completely cool remove the bottom and parchement. wash and dry spirngform and return cake, right side up to pan and close the sides.

for the topping:
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 tablespoons corn syrup
2/3 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons room temp butter
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup walnuts

put sugar, water and corn syrup into a large heavy bottomed saucepan. stir just to combine and heat over med-high. heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns a deep amber color, 5-10 minutes. as the sugar is caramelizing, wipe down any crystals with a damp pastry brush. to test the color, drop a bit on a white plate. lighter caramle will not have the same depth of flavor.

lower the heat, stand back, and add cream and butter…it will bubble a steam a lot. when the caramel has calmed stir out any lumps and add salt. stir in nuts and pour into a heatproof glass vessel. spoon the nuts on top of the cake, followed by caramel (you may have extra caramel). allow the topping to come to room temp (20 minutes) before removing from springform and serving.