Hot Brownie Sundae

Ingredients

• For the brownies:
• 7 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder, plus more for dusting
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon vinegar-based hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Texas Pete
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate
• 1 ounce unsweetened chocolate
• 3/4 cup flour
• Pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/4 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
• 3 eggs
• 11/4 cups sugar
• For the fudge sauce:
• 4 1/2 ounces chocolate, chopped
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Vanilla ice cream, to serve

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish, then coat it with cocoa powder. Stir the milk and hot sauce together in a measuring cup, mixing well, and leave it aside to sour. Melt the butter with both chocolates in a double boiler, then take it off the heat.
2. In a large bowl, sift the flour, cocoa powder and salt. Add the walnuts and chocolate chips to that flour mixture and toss them together.
3. With a mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture looks light and airy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the melted chocolate mixture to the eggs and beat until fully blended. Gradually pour in the soured milk mixture while mixing. Fold in the flour mixture gently, stopping as soon as it is just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a skewer poked into the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.
4. Put the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. In a medium pot set over medium-high heat, combine the sugar, honey and hot sauce and bring the mixture to a boil. Continue cooking until it deepens to a dark amber shade, about 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully whisk in the cream. Whisk in the butter and salt until the sauce is smooth. Take the pot off the heat and pour the hot mixture over the chocolate. Let it stand for 1 minute so the chocolate can soften, then stir until smooth. Keep the sauce warm, or warm it back up gently over low heat. Spoon the sauce over the brownie and ice cream to serve.