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Brownies cannot be considered mini cake squares because they fail to include a vital component that goes into all cakes &mdash; yeast. That&rsquo;s something we learn during a chat with Prache Goel, founder of Brownie Cottage, one of the city&rsquo;s earliest brownie brands.
The 36-year-old confectioner whose brownie brand turned nine this July, says, the brownie was invented when an American baker forgot to add baking powder to his cake. &ldquo;A brownie, unlike a sponge cake, should not rise, yet remain soft and moist. It&rsquo;s that gooey texture I&rsquo;m referring to,&rdquo; she says, urging us to take a bite of a warm Belgian chocolate brownie at her Oshiwara kitchen.
<img title="Prache Goel, founder of Brownie Cottage, inspects freashly baked Belgian chocolate brownies. pic/sharad vegda " src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/images/2015/sep/Prache-Goel-b.jpg" alt="Prache Goel, founder of Brownie Cottage, inspects freashly baked Belgian chocolate brownies. pic/sharad vegda " /> Prache Goel, founder of Brownie Cottage, inspects freashly baked Belgian chocolate brownies. Pic/Sharad Vegda 
Here, the air is sweet, with a tinge of bitter. Her team of four is making Twix, After Eight, hazelnut and Belgian chocolate into brownies.
In 2001, Goel wrapped up a baking course from Sophia Polytechnic, and interned at The Oberoi Towers in the summer of that year. &ldquo;I owe my success to that training. It was mango season, and all I did for two months was peel mangoes and chop them for garnishing. It was only in the last month that the chefs decided to teach me something,&rdquo; she says, without looking up from the batter she is layering with Nutella in a tray. She continues to preserve a tattered file of recipes she had scribbled during that internship.
&ldquo;I never wanted to set up a business. I only wanted to cook good food for Raghav,&rdquo; she gushes about her then boyfriend, now husband. When he was posted in Lonavala, she&rsquo;d supply small orders to food stores around the hill station, and conduct classes. &ldquo;Then, one day, we decided to pack our bags and give our dream a chance,&rdquo; says Goel, her hand skillfully running the custom-made cutter horizontally and vertically on the slab before she gets 16 pieces, 3x3&rdquo; large, just 0.6&rdquo; in height. &ldquo;Without a leavening agent like baking soda or yeast, a brownie should be a bit undercooked too, unlike a cake&rdquo; she adds.
In 2007, the couple set up their first kiosk at Carter Road in Bandra and at Seven Bungalows, Andheri &ldquo;Since it was a homegrown venture, we named it Brownie Cottage. Our tagline was &lsquo;Baking a Dream&rsquo;. I worked on a Sunflame cooking range, until my landlord threw a fit. Then we moved out and set up a central kitchen.&rdquo; In 2008, she set up a stall at Inox, Nariman Point. &ldquo;It was the day Jodhaa Akbar released and Sanjay Dutt got married to Manayata in a private affair.&rdquo;
Today, she dishes out 15,000 brownies a month. The perfect squares cost between Rs 129 and Rs 219. Her latest flavours include granola and apricot, and walnuts and maple syrup. Go, tuck in.
Gooey Brownie Ingredients &gt;&gt;&nbsp;1 egg &gt;&gt;&nbsp;15 gm brown sugar &gt;&gt;&nbsp;80 gm sugar &gt;&gt;&nbsp;70 gm flour &gt;&gt;&nbsp;20 gm cocoa &gt;&gt;&nbsp;70 gm butter &gt;&gt;&nbsp;25 gm walnut &gt;&gt; 50 gm milk Method &gt;&gt;&nbsp;Cream the butter and sugar till light and fluffy &gt;&gt;&nbsp;Slowly add the egg &gt;&gt;&nbsp;Fold in the dry ingredients with the melted butter and milk till dropping consistency &gt;&gt;&nbsp;Bake till moist, not dry &gt;&gt; Store in airtight containers Serve warm with ice-cream and hot chocolate sauce

One of Mumbai's earliest brownie start-ups turns nine; the maker remembers baking on a Sunflame cooking range

Irresistible 80 grams

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Irresistible 80 grams

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