Truly, I am a brownie-girl and a cheesecake-girl.

Whenever I dine at restaurant, as long as their desserts menu has the word "cheesecake" or/and "brownie", I'm likely to be caught in between this two choices! Other cakes like Opera, Chocolate Fudge, Waffle, Molten cake wouldn't even be considered. It simply has to be a brownie, or a cheesecake, or BOTH!

Last night I was looking for a cheesecake brownie when I decided on David Lebovitz's. I'm sure he is not stranger to food bloggers! His recipes never fail us and I really admire his knowledge towards food (-desserts!). I wanted a brownie base that is moist and fudgy, yet a little cake-like. Not the heavy and dense kind that I usually seek for, because I didn't think I would be able to appreciate a cheesecake brownie that has both its layer so rich!

As planned, I bake it on an empty stomach this morning! (Ok.... the secret is also that I knew all cheesecakes have to be thoroughly chilled for at least 4hours, or better overnight before they can be eaten. BUT that isn't the case for a cheesecake brownie =P In fact I personally find them better when eaten warm)

I made the baking process short and sweet. I was really looking forward to the end results & once it came out of the oven, I let it rest impatiently for 5minutes, lift it up and let cool on a marble table for another 20minutes. Inevitably, I pinched the sides of the entire cake to eat. It was so incredibly satisfying.

Later, I gave away half of the cake to my Aunty and my cousins because I knew that if I were to keep all of them at home, I'd probably gain a kg tomorrow. LOL. I kept two for my mum, two for my brothers and I hid in the kitchen finishing the rest (hee)

I'd describe the cheesecake brownie to be perfectly sweet, very chocolatey and seriously delicious. The brownie is moist and tender while the cheesecake batter seems to make the bars a little salty, giving a very unique taste to it. This also balance the overall sweetness of the bars which makes it extra enjoyable.

However, if you are looking for a really dense, fudgy, chocolatey and rich brownie, you might want to try my Peanut Butter Brownies. It is the most popular post in my blog! :)

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Cheesecake Brownie
recipe from David Lebovitz
One 9-inch (23cm) square pan (I bake mine in 7x10in pan)

6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 ounces (115g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
2/3 cup (130g) sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup (70g) flour
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (80g) chocolate chips

8 ounces (200g) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk
5 tablespoons (75g) sugar
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Line a 9-inch (23cm) square pan with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides. Use two sheets if necessary. Mist with non-stick spray or grease lightly. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).

Melt the butter and chocolate in a large steel bowl over a pot of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the 2/3 cup (130g) sugar, then the eggs. Sift in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.

In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, 5 tablespoons (75g) of sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter.

Bake for 35min or until center feels just set (I bake mine at 175degreeC and it took exactly 20minutes. Be careful not to over-bake them)