Vegan Jack O’ Lantern Brownies

Method (brownie)

1. Preheat the oven to 180℃ fan, and line a 8 x 8 inch square / loose base tin with grease proof paper.  Allow the paper to hang over the edges of the tin, this makes it easier for removing the bars when ready.
2. Sift the cocoa powder and flour together in a medium bowl.
3. Fill a small saucepan 1/4 full with water and place on the hob over medium heat. Add the dairy-free chocolate and butter into a heat proof bowl. Place the bowl over the pan, creating a bain-marie. Allow the chocolate and butter to melt together, stirring with a heat proof spatula. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes while you make prepare the aquafaba.
4. Add the aquafaba and sugar into a medium sized mixing bowl and whip up on high speed for around 5 minutes until thick and glossy. I use a stand mixer with balloon whisk attachment. A electric hand whisk will work great too. Whip on high speed, the aquafaba mixture should be thick enough that when it drips into the bowl, the mixture should ribbon off the mixer.
5. Pour the chocolate and butter mixture over the aquafaba, and carefully fold together with a spatula. Make sure to be very gentle with this step as you want to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.
6. Once combined, sift in the flour and cocoa powder. Again, fold this in with a spatula until a rich and thick brownie batter forms.
7. Pour the brownie batter into the lined tin and level off with an off-set spatula.
8. Place the tin into the middle of the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. If you want a more fudgey brownie, you may want to underbake by 5 minutes!
9. Once baked, remove the tin from the oven and allow to cool fully on a wire rack. TIP: Keep the brownie in the tin while it’s cooling. This will help it keeps it’s shape and will also lock in some of the moisture, which will help with the chewy texture.
10. Keep the brownie in the tin as we will be layering the cheesecake on top in the tin. 

Method (cheesecake layer)

1. The cashew nuts will need to be soaked overnight in water. See notes (at the bottom of the recipe card) for more details.
2. Drain the cashew nuts from the water and place them into a food processor/blender along with the dairy-free cream cheese, icing sugar, coconut cream, melted dairy-free dark chocolate and cocoa powder. Whizz up on high speed for around 5 minutes until smooth. Add some more coconut cream if needed. I use a ‘Kitchenaid Powerplus blender’. It’s best to use a high-speed blender if possible as the mixture is quite thick, and you want it as smooth as possible. You might need to stop the mixture a few times and scrape down the sides to make sure everything is incorporated and smooth.
3. Stir in the orange jam and mix to combine.
4. Pour the chocolate orange cheesecake mixture into the tin on top of the brownie base. Tap the cheesecake onto the worktop to remove any air bubbles.
5. Place into the fridge overnight to set.
6. Once set, remove the slab from the tin and use a sharp knife to cut into slices / squares. TIP: Heat a knife in hot water, wipe dry then cut. This will help cut them smoothly. 

Method (pumpkin decorations)

1. Melt the white chocolate either on the hob using a bain-marie or in the microwave in 20 second intervals until melted. Stir in the orange colouring, don’t use too much of it could seize the chocolate. Only use a tiny drop of a vivid orange food gel. 
2. Poke a toothpick or skewer into a marshmallow, then dunk the marshmallow into the chocolate to coat. Do not shake off excess coating but quickly place on top of the brownie. If needed, drizzle a little more chocolate on the edge of the brownie to drizzle down on the sides (refer to video for example). 
3. Let the chocolate set slightly before placing on a small chocolate chip on top of the marshmallow to resemble the pumpkin stalk. Allow the pumpkins to set completely before piping on the faces.
4. To leave over chocolate, colour with black food gel. Transfer into a piping bag and snip off a small tip. Pipe two dots and a zig-zag mouth to create the jack o’ lantern faces. Allow to set in the fridge.
5. Serve and enjoy!