So this past weekend we had a BBQ at our house, to celebrate everything from my recent engagement to my sister finishing law school to my grandmother’s 80th birthday, so of course, that meant it was time to break out the baked goods.

For my g-ma’s b-day cake, I decided to give these Pink Lemonade Cupcakes a try (although I prepared it as a GIANT cupcake!)  This simple, start-with-a-mix recipe was quite the hit—the perfect combination of tangy and sweet.  Actually, it went over so well that this was all that was left when I went to take a picture:

Then, to balance out the tartness of the cake, I decided to make a chocolatey companion dessert.  So, I used my favorite brownie recipe, from Baked, a bakery in Brooklyn.  (I got the recipe from their kick-ass cookbook of the same name.)

Here’s the scrumptious recipe:

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
11 oz. dark chocolate (I use 7 oz. of 70%, 4 oz. of 60%)
1 c. unsalted butter
1 tsp. instant espresso powder
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. light brown sugar, firmly packed
5 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 X 13 inch pan with butter.

In a medium bowl combine the flour, salt, and cocoa powder.

Place the chocolate, butter, and espresso powder in a double boiler. Stir until the chocolate has melted fully. Turn off the heat but keep the bowl on top of the water and whisk in both sugars. Stir until combined.

Once the mixture is at room temperature, add in three eggs and whisk until incorporated. Add in the final two eggs and whisk. Stir in the vanilla. Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture just until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and place in the oven for about 30 minutes until when a toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few crumbs on it.  Let the brownies cool fully before cutting.