I've always wondered why black and orange were the designated Halloween colours. Well, it turns out it dates all the way back to the Celts about 2000 years ago. Black symbolises the darker nights, while orange is the colour of Autumn leaves and fire. It makes sense now! I've used these seasonal colours to create delicious and gooey Halloween Cheesecake Brownies. Dark black chocolate brownies, swirled with orange cheesecake, they're perfect for spooky nights!
Step by step...
I made the orange coloured cheesecake first by mixing together full fat cream cheese, caster sugar, egg, vanilla extract and orange food colouring.
Then for the brownie batter I melted chocolate and butter in a pan. In a bowl I whisked eggs and dark brown sugar together. I poured the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then added plain flour, baking powder and black food colouring.
I poured about two third of the brownie mixture into a lined tray bake tin, then I put the cheesecake mixture on top on blobs. Next I added the rest of the brownie mixture on top in blobs, then I swirled it altogether with a butter knife. They baked for 30 minutes.
These Halloween Cheesecake Brownies combine sweet gooey chocolate brownie with a creamy baked cheesecake - they're two fabulous desserts in one! And with their black and orange hues they'll certainly up the spook factor at your Halloween celebrations!
Tips for making the Halloween Cheesecake Brownies!
- Use a a regular butter knife to make the swirls, glide it around slowly until you're happy
- You could change the food colouring for the cheesecake swirl to other popular Halloween colours like green or purple!
- Make sure to line your tin with greaseproof baking paper so the brownies come out easily
- If they are not setting in the time, check your oven temperature using an oven thermometer as your oven could be running slightly cooler than the dial says. All ovens are different so your brownies might need a little longer than mine. They will definitely need longer if you use a smaller tin than I did!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
| Traybake tin | Mixing bowls | Cooling rack |
| Kitchen scales | Orange food colouring | Black food colouring |
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
More Halloween recipes...
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| Chocolate Spiderweb Donuts | Chocolate Spiderweb Cheesecake |
Halloween Cheesecake Brownies
Ingredients
For the cheesecake swirl
- 350 g Full fat cream cheese
- 1 Egg large
- 65 g Caster sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- Orange food colouring I use Pro Gel
For the brownies
- 350 g Dark chocolate
- 250 g Butter or baking spread
- 250 g Dark brown sugar
- 3 Eggs large
- 120 g Plain flour
- 1 tsp Baking powder
- Black food colouring I use Pro Gel
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 180C/160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4 and grease and line a 12" x 9" traybake tin
- To make the cheesecake swirl mix together the full fat cream cheese, caster sugar, egg and vanilla extract with a hand whisk or electric hand whisk until smooth. Add enough orange food colouring to get a bright shade
- For the brownie mix start by melting the dark chocolate and butter in a pan on a low heat, once melted, set aside to cool
- In a bowl, whisk together the dark brown sugar and the eggs until frothy
- Slowly pour the melted chocolate and butter into the egg mixture, whilst constantly whisking
- Add the plain flour and baking powder and mix in
- Add enough black food colouring to get a dark shade
- Pour about two third of the brownie mixture into the traybake tin, then add the cheesecake mixture on top, then spoon the rest of the brownie mix on top in blobs
- Using a butter knife, swirl the mixture around to create the pattern, then bake it for 30-35 minutes
- Leave it to cool completely before removing from the tin and cutting into squares
- Store in the fridge and eat them within 3 days
Notes
- 235g Dark chocolate
- 165g Butter
- 165g Dark brown sugar
- 2 Eggs
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- 80g Plain flour
- 235g Full fat cream cheese
- 1 Egg
- 45g Caster sugar
- ¾ tsp Vanilla extract
If you like this, check out more of my Brownie recipes!
Or you might like my Halloween recipes!
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I'm linking this recipe up with Cook Blog Share hosted by Easy Peasy Foodie.
Laura - Mummy Lauretta
Yum! My boys would love these, we are big fans of brownies in our house 🙂
Donna
brownies and cheesecake and Halloween! OHMYGOSHYUM
Anita Holland
These look so great, the colour through it looks so pretty.
Cat | Curly's Cooking
These look fantastic! Love the colours and cheesecake brownies sound delicious.
Ellie h
How do you use gel food colouring in chocolate without it splitting? Thanks!
thebakingexplorer
Hi Ellie, you don't colour the chocolate directly in this recipe so it shouldn't split because it's mixed with the other brownie ingredients 🙂
Sophie
Great recipe to follow and the end product looks amazing!!! So pleased with how they turned out!