Photo Credit: Saraizel Senderovits

My mother’s sister Raizy, a”h, was a fabulous baker. She was the one we went to for any tips, tricks, and recipes. The only time of year we really baked in my home when I was growing up was Pesach, and Raizy taught us things like “To get a nice high sponge cake, don’t grease the pan,” “Freeze the container you’ll be using for ice cream before filling it to help keep the eggs from sinking to the bottom,” and more.

This brownie is a take on the one she shared with us. We’ve been making it for years and years. It’s made of the most basic of ingredients, because we don’t use much else!

Dress it up with the glaze or serve it plain with a cup of coffee.

Basic Brownies

YIELDS 1 9X13-INCH (23X33-CM) BAKING PAN

• ½ cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup potato starch
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup oil

Glaze

• 1 egg
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 Tbsp oil
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a small bowl, sift together cocoa and potato starch.

In a large bowl, beat eggs with sugar and oil, making sure to mix well. Sift in cocoa and potato starch.

Mix until all ingredients are well incorporated.

Pour into a lined 9x13-inch (23x33-cm) pan and bake for 35 minutes.

To make the glaze: In a small saucepan, mix all the ingredients over medium heat. Keep whisking so the egg doesn’t set. As soon as it starts to bubble, remove from heat and pour over warm cake.

Tips

»You can skip the mixer and use a whisk — which makes this the perfect dessert to prepare on Yom Tov, if you run out of cake!

»Don’t skip the sifting of the cocoa and potato starch — they tend to form lumps, and you don’t want to bite into a mouthful of potato starch.

»Doubles and freezes very well.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 788)