Cakey or Fudgy ?

Did you know that there are 2 types of brownies ?  The cakey ones and the fudgy ones.  I am strictly on the fudgy camp, so when my attempt at this new brownie recipe resulted in cakey brownies, I was kind of disappointed.  I should have known better, judging by the ratio of butter and chocolate to flour in the recipe.  But I was sold by the call of sour cream in the recipe, so I decided to test it out.

Oh yes, over the last few days, I also did little survey which tells me that team fudgy outnumbered team cakey, like almost unanimously.  Yay, team fudgy.  So tell me, where do you stand in the great brownie debate ? 

Now, if you are one of those who are diehard fudgy gooey brownie fans, then you can stop short here (and refer to my other brownie recipes here and here), otherwise, this may be a good cakey brownie recipe for you.  This recipe is taken from the Modern Baker by Nick Malgieri.  Truth be told, I am unlikely to attempt this cakey brownie recipe again, but if you were to try this, I would advise you to add one or two tablespoon of cocoa powder to the batter, as the chocolate flavour in this brownie is somehow lacking.  But I may be bias, having come from team fudgy.  But please, it's not like these are bad brownies or anything - they just don't fit my criteria as the ultimate or world's best brownie.

You will need:
175 g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
200 g semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into pieces
1 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
4 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp salt
3 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
225 g macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 180 deg C.  Line a 9 x 13 inch pan with foil (or parchment), then spray the foil with baking spray.

Put the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Let the butter melt, stirring 2 or 3 times, then allow it to bubble for about 10 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chocolate. Gently shake the pan to submerge the chocolate in the hot butter and set aside for a few minutes so that the chocolate melts. Use a small whisk to mix until smooth.

Place the brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat in one egg on the lowest speed using the paddle attachment. Add the remaining eggs, one at a time, beating smooth after each addition. Add the sour cream, salt and vanilla and beat smooth.

Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a large rubber spatula to mix in the chocolate/butter. Mix in the flour, followed by 1 1/2 cups of nuts.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Scatter the remaining nuts on the batter.

Bake the brownies until they are firm, but still very moist in the center, about 30 minutes.

Cool the brownies in the pan on a rack.

Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate the brownies for several hours or overnight before attempting to cut them - they are very moist.