Chocolate Fondant
A small hot chocolate cake with a molten center
- Makes
- 6 fondants (175 ml molds)
- Hands-on
- Total
- Level
- Some skill
Individual chocolate cakes, crisp-edged outside with a hot, flowing center. They can be prepared hours ahead and baked in 12 minutes while you clear the main course, which makes them the ideal dinner-party dessert. The timing has to be exact, so bake one test fondant first.
Ingredients
- 15 gsoft butter and 15 g cocoa powder (1 tbsp each)for the molds
- 200 gdark chocolate (65–70%), chopped (7 oz)
- 150 gunsalted butter, cubed (10½ tbsp)
- 3large eggs (about 150 g without shells)at room temperature
- 3large egg yolks (about 54 g)
- 100 gsuperfine (caster) sugar (½ cup)
- 1 pinchfine sea salt
- 50 gall-purpose flour (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp)
- Diet
- Vegetarian
- Allergens
- gluten, egg, milk
- Origin
- France
Method
- Brush six 175 ml metal pudding molds or ramekins with soft butter using upward strokes, chill 5 minutes, brush again, then dust with cocoa, tapping out the excess.
- Melt the chocolate and 150 g butter together over barely simmering water or in the microwave in short bursts, stirring until smooth. Cool for 10 minutes.
- Whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar and salt with an electric mixer for 4–5 minutes (or by hand for about 8), until pale, thick and doubled in volume.
- Pour the chocolate down the side of the bowl and fold it in gently. Sift the flour over and fold until just combined.
- Divide among the molds, filling each three-quarters full (about 120 g). Chill at least 20 minutes, or up to 24 hours, covered.
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F) with a baking sheet inside. Bake one test fondant from the fridge for 12 minutes on the hot sheet; the top should be risen and firm, with a slight wobble at the very center. Turn it out and check: adjust the time by 30 seconds either way for the rest.
- Bake the remaining fondants at the time you've found, usually 11–13 minutes from chilled (9–10 minutes if baked at room temperature). Rest 1 minute, run a thin knife round each edge, invert onto plates and lift off the molds. Serve at once with cream or Vanilla Ice Cream.
Why it works
A fondant is a cake deliberately underbaked: the outer layer sets into sponge while the center stays a hot, liquid batter. Chilling the filled molds slows the center's heating, widening the window between a set crust and an overcooked middle. Butter and cocoa coating the molds lets the cake slide out in one piece.
Common mistakes
- Skipping the test bake. Every oven is different and a minute decides molten or solid.
- Poorly greased molds; the fondant collapses when you turn it out.
- Letting baked fondants sit; the center keeps cooking. Serve straight away.
Variations
- Salted caramel center
- Half-fill the molds, add a teaspoon of thick cold salted caramel to each, then cover with the rest of the batter.
- Gluten-free
- Replace the flour with 50 g cornstarch or ground almonds.
Make ahead and storage
Filled molds keep 24 hours in the fridge or 1 month in the freezer; bake from frozen for 15–16 minutes (do a test one).
Notes
Fan oven: 180°C (350°F). Metal molds give the most reliable timing; ceramic ramekins need 1–2 minutes longer and are best served in the dish. Many dark chocolates contain soy lecithin; check the label if cooking for someone with a soy allergy.
