Chocolate fondant recipe

Oozing rich dark chocolate center with a soft, moist sponge cake, these chocolate fondants are the perfect dessert for dinner parties.

It takes just seven ingredients to make these indulgent puds each sitting in its own ramekin. Chocolate fondants are much easier to make than you may think. Make ahead of time so each fondant has at least one hour of chilling time before cooking. Serve with strawberries and fresh cream.

Ingredients

• 100g dark chocolate
• 10g cocoa
• 100g butter
• 2 eggs
• 70g caster sugar
• 50g plain flour
• ½tsp baking powder

Method

1. Lightly butter six ramekins.
2. Fill a larger saucepan half full with water, then place a small saucepan with the chocolate inside into the pan with water. Heat gently on the stove top. When the chocolate melts, add butter then remove from the heat and mix well together.
3. Whisk together the eggs and sugar. Once the mixture is pale, creamy and fluffy, fold into the chocolate. Add the flour, cocoa and baking powder and continue to fold until nice and even.
4. Divide the mixture between the 6 ramekins and chill for around an hour. About 45 mins into their chilling time, preheat the oven to 210ºC.
5. Cook for 6-8 mins until the tops resemble biscuits and are just beginning to crack.
6. Serve warm in the ramekins. Delicious with strawberries and fresh lightly whipped double cream.

Top tips for making chocolate fondant

If you're serving your chocolate fondants in the ramekins, rather than turning them out, serve them straight away. The dishes will remain hot once removed from the oven, continuing to cook your fondants so you run the risk of losing your oozing middle if you wait too long.

What to serve with chocolate fondant

To balance out the rich chocolate taste, serve with some chopped fruit or a drizzle of single cream. We love it with strawberries and raspberries but you could go tropical and try some chopped mango too.

How to make sure chocolate fondant doesn't sink

To avoid a sinking or collapsing chocolate fondant, make sure you leave the fondant mixture in the fridge for at least one hour so it has time to set. Make sure the oven is preheated and you cook the fondants for the correct amount of time.

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