I love individual brownies – they turn a classic into a showstopper, especially when frosted with earl grey buttercream, dripping with salted caramel sauce, dotted with caramel and chocolate pearls and adorned with edible flowers. The frosting infused with earl grey provides a lovely fragrant backdrop for the salted caramel drizzle, while the pearls add a little crunch.
The key is to make sure the brownies don’t overbake – you want the centre moist and fudgy. Compared to classic brownies baked in a large pan, they are at a much greater risk of overbaking due to their size, so if in doubt – take them out early. These brownies require a little more preparation than your average brownie, but they are certainly well worth the effort for the delectable combination of chocolate, earl grey and salted caramel.
Earl Grey + Salted Caramel Brownies
Makes 12 individual (5cm) brownies
Ingredients
Ingredients
Chocolate Brownies
- 100g unsalted butter
- 100g good-quality dark chocolate
- 100g (1/2 cup, firmly packed) brown sugar
- 75g (1/3 cup) caster sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 150g (1 cup) plain flour, sifted
- 3 tbsp dutch-process cocoa, sifted
- 1/2 tsp baking powder, sifted
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1/4 cup salted caramel sauce, to decorate
- Chocolate and salted caramel pearls, to decorate
- Edible flowers (violas), to decorate
Earl Grey Frosting
- 4–6 earl grey teabags
- 1 tbsp (20ml) boiling water
- 2 tbsp (40ml) whole milk
- 80g unsalted butter, softened
- 160g icing sugar, sifted
- ¼ tsp vanilla paste
- Pinch fine sea salt
Instructions
Method
Earl Grey Brownies
- Preheat oven to (170°C/150°C fan-forced) and grease a 12-hole mini cheesecake pan (or mini cake pan).
- Melt butter and dark chocolate in small saucepan on low heat until smooth, then set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
- Beat eggs and sugars until pale and smooth, then pour in melted chocolate mixture until combined.
- Add 1/3 of the sifted plain flour and gently beat on low speed to combine, then the rest of the flour, cocoa and baking powder and salt, until mixture is smooth. Take care not to overmix.
- Divide mixture equally between cake pan holes then bake for 16-18 minutes or until brownie top springs back when touched, and a cake tester comes out with moist crumbs. Don’t be tempted to leave the brownies in the oven any longer – they will firm up as they cool and taste much better with a moist centre than being hard and crunchy. Allow to cool 10 minutes in pan, then turn out and cool completely on a wire rack.
Earl Grey Frosting
- Cover teabags with boiling water in a small bowl, then add milk. Allow to steep for at least 30 minutes. When ready to use, remove teabags, squeezing to extract maximum flavour
- Whisk together butter, sugar, vanilla and salt in a freestanding mixer on high speed until light and fluffy, then add earl grey infused milk and continue to whisk until pale and fluffy.
- Place frosting in a piping bag fitted with a medium round nozzle.
Assembly
- Place brownies on serving plate, then pipe with frosting and drizzle with salted caramel sauce.
- Sprinkle with chocolate and salted caramel pearls, then decorate with edible flowers.
Notes
You can find the recipe for the most delectable salted caramel sauce here, or you may prefer to substitute with your favourite store-bought salted caramel sauce, found at most speciality food stores.
You may also like:
Chocolate Earl Grey Tart + Sea Salt (gf)
Chocolate Salted Caramel Brownie Cake + Fresh Figs
French Earl Grey Bundt Cake
These look delicious! Can you share a link for the pan you used?
Hi Jan,
Thanks for asking. For this recipe I’ve used a 12 hole mini cheesecake pan by Chicago Metallic. I purchased it from a local kitchenware store years ago but you can probably track down a similar (or the same) one in your area or online.
Good luck and happy baking, Salma
Hi/Salaam
What is the name or type of baking pan that u have used here?
These cakes are so adorable in these shapes!!:)
Hi Naeema,
Thanks for the lovely comments. I do love the sweet miniature shape! See my response to Jan’s question 🙂 good luck tracking it down and happy baking!
Kind regards, Salma
A beautiful recipe and picture to replicate. I used a different pan and made the fatal mistake of overcooking them. I will know for next time. I made your caramel sauce too. Delicious.
Thanks for the comment and so glad to hear you enjoyed the caramel sauce. Don’t worry about overcooking the brownies – it happens to all of us! Good luck for next time – and if in doubt, take them out earlier and if they are underdone, everyone will love the gooey fudgy centres, and you can pretend it was all planned.
Happy baking! Salma
Amazing recipe! Thank you! The cake stand and plates are so interesting. May I know where you got them from?
Hi Olivia,
I’m glad to hear you like my recipe and thanks for your query. The cake stand and plates are from two of my favourite Australian ceramicists. The cake stand is from Bridget Bodenham and the plates are from Kinfolk & Co. Both items were purchased quite a few years ago and given their handmade nature may not be available any longer, but I’m sure you will find many other gorgeous pieces in their online shops.
Kind regards,
Salma