Brownie Pudding

This is the first month that I have has it all together enough to be able to make a bonus recipe for Barefoot Bloggers. Each month, two mandatory recipes are chosen, along with a bonus recipe for those of us who want to join in for more fun. When I saw that Tia from Southern, Eh? had chosen this brownie pudding as this month's bonus recipe, I knew that I had to make it. If you've noticed that I haven't posted much this week (admit, it... you've missed me, haven't you?), it's because I'm on Spring Break! I'm staying with my in-laws this week, and I left my camera at home (insert *gasp* here). I made dinner for them tonight, along with Phillip's cousin Jeremy and his lovely wife Melanie (they are becoming frequent guest stars on my blog), so I thought that this would be the perfect dessert.

Ingredients

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for buttering the dish
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup good cocoa powder
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Seeds scraped from 1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon framboise liqueur, optional (I didn't use this)
Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Lightly butter a 2-quart (9 by 12 by 2-inch) oval baking dish. Melt the 1/2 pound of butter and set aside to cool.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs and sugar on medium-high speed for 5 to 10 minutes, until very thick and light yellow. Meanwhile, sift the cocoa powder and flour together and set aside.

When the egg and sugar mixture is ready, reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla seeds, framboise, if using, and the cocoa powder and flour mixture. Mix only until combined. With mixer still on low, slowly pour in the cooled butter and mix again just until combined.

Pour the brownie mixture into the prepared dish and place it in a larger baking pan. Add enough of the hottest tap water to the pan to come halfway up the side of the dish and bake for exactly 1 hour. A cake tester inserted 2 inches from the side will come out 3/4 clean. The center will appear very under-baked; this dessert is between a brownie and a pudding.

Allow to cool and serve with vanilla ice cream.

Source: Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics