Chocolate Fondant

Andy Cooks

dessert

Placeholder image

Servings

4 Servings

Prep time

15 Minutes

Cooking Time

15 Minutes

Calories

--- Kcal

Ingredients

  • 180g dark chocolate (70% cocoa)
  • 120g unsalted butter + 10g extra for greasing
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 40g caster sugar
  • 35g (¼ cup) plain flour
  • pinch of salt
  • icing sugar and ice cream, to serve

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan forced.
  2. Break up the chocolate into small pieces and put in a heatproof bowl with the butter. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (do not allow the bottom of the bowl to touch the water) and stir until melted. Set aside for 5 minutes.
  3. Grease 4 x 200ml capacity ramekins with the extra butter.
  4. Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl until it becomes lighter in colour. Fold in the flour and salt until smooth.
  5. Fold in the chocolate mixture until just combined, then divide the batter evenly between the ramekins.
  6. Place on an oven tray and bake for 7-8 minutes, until the top is just set.
  7. Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 2 minutes. Run a pallet knife around the edges of the cakes to loosen, then invert onto serving plates. Dust with some icing sugar and serve immediately with ice cream.

Notes:

  • Add the chocolate to the eggs slowly : The melted chocolate and butter mixture is hot, the eggs are raw. Pour the chocolate into the eggs in a steady stream while folding constantly to temper it in. Tipping it all in at once will scramble the yolks and you’ll end up with sweet chocolate omelette instead of a glossy batter.
  • Coat the ramekins with cocoa: After greasing the ramekins with soft butter, dust the insides with cocoa powder and tap out the excess. The cocoa gives the cake an extra layer of bittersweet crust on the outside and helps it release cleanly from the ramekin. Bonus: it looks better than flour or sugar.
  • Make them ahead: You can portion the batter into greased ramekins, cover with cling film and chill overnight. Bake straight from the fridge, just add 2 minutes to the cook time (9 to 10 minutes total). This is the move when you’ve got people coming for dinner and want a fancy dessert without the last-minute pressure.
  • Don’t open the oven door early: The cakes set quickly and a sudden temperature drop can cause them to deflate. Trust the timer for the first bake (7 to 8 minutes for fresh batter) and only check at the end. The top should look just set and slightly cracked at the edges.
  • Storage: These are best eaten the moment they come out of the oven. The whole point is the molten centre, which sets up firmer the longer you leave them. Unbaked batter in greased ramekins keeps in the fridge for up to 2 days, covered with cling film, and is honestly the best way to plan this dessert ahead. If you do end up with leftover baked cakes, they’ll keep at room temperature for a few hours but the centre will be set to a regular chocolate cake texture by then.