cherry, chilli and Irú brownies

1. Grease and line a 20cm x 30cm oven tin (one with a bit of depth of course). Heat oven to 170 degrees celsius (fan).
2. In a small container/shot glass, espresso cup etc., mix the coffee in a tiny amount of hot water (literally just enough hot water to dissolve it). Stir the iru beans into the coffee mix and leave aside. 
3. Melt the butter and sugars in a medium-large pot on the hob on low to medium heat, stirring gently. When the butter has melted, take off the hob. Don’t worry if the sugar has not 100% dissolved/there is still a little bit of graininess. 
4. Once the butter and sugar mix has cooled slightly, stir in broken pieces of the chocolate.
5. Beat in the eggs until completely mixed. No need to transfer to a bowl, using the pot is fine (and one less thing to wash :D).
6. Strain the iru-infused coffee into the batter. Mix in the cherries and cherry liqueur.
7. Sieve in the flour and cocoa powder and fold in just until the ingredients are fully combined.
8. Pour into the lined tray and bake for 30 minutes/until the outer layer has crisped up but there’s a gentle wobble in the centre. Leave to cool before cutting into 5 columns and 3 rows.

• Make sure to take the brownies on time so they come out fudgy, as they will continue to cook whilst cooling. Better to bring them out a bit too early and put them back in if need be.
• There should be a very gentle wobble in the middle of the tray, and a toothpick will come out not wet but a bit streaked.
• I like a juicy burst of cherry, but if you prefer little pops you can cut up the cherries.
• If you don’t have dark brown muscovado sugar to hand, whilst it adds a nice molasses-y richness, the recipe will work nicely with 450g caster sugar.

Notes on Iru and Cameroon pepper:

•  Irú is a Yoruba term for a fermented locust bean that is a popular condiment in West African cooking. It is intensely rich in umami, and has a deep, coffee adjacent flavour. Whilst traditionally it's used to enrich savoury foods, it boosts the chocolate flavour in this recipe, and also adds a little saltiness to avoid cloying sugariness.
• Cameroon pepper is a spice made from ground dried chinense family peppers (typically scotch bonnet and/or habanero). It’s prized for its complexity and smokiness. Again, though it's typically used to season savoury dishes, the sprinkling in this recipe really elevates the brownies. They don’t taste hot, but have a subtle wave of warmth running through. Of course, chilli in brownies isn’t new - and for good reason. But I found this spice to work especially well.
• These ingredients can be found at the numerous African grocers/markets across the UK, if you don’t already have a go-to, Google will point you to your nearest one.