I would say I am more of a savory person than sweet, however, when it comes to baking anything sweet, then that is a definite weakness of mine! I feel like I baked a lot of cakes this year and at the end of last year for family and friends, and that put me off baking anything else for a while! I’m back though with the perfect treat for any chocolate lover. Chocolate fondants are quite a rich dessert, featuring a soft, gooey center of melted chocolate. They really are as amazing as they sound! The outside is cake, and the inside remains liquid, creating a delightful texture. They are best served warm. I have never known them any other way and they go perfectly with a dollop of ice cream or perhaps even some squirty cream, although that might be a bit sickly for some! If you wanted to be fancy, you could even dust some icing sugar on the top of them. What makes them so popular, is cutting into them to reveal the oozing chocolatey center. They are a great dessert to serve up at any dinner party because after all, who doesn’t love chocolate?
Another great thing about these puddings is that the ingredients list isn’t very long, as I know how annoying that can be with recipes. If you are someone who bake a lot, you will likely already have most of these ingredients you will already have in your cupboard. If your not, then these are things that you will still be able to use again and not just have sitting in your cupboard until 2030 when you come to discover them while cleaning out.
Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons of cocoa powder
- 50g butter
- 50g dark chocolate
- 70g caster sugar
- 2 eggs (1 whole, 1 for the egg yolk)
- 50g plain flour
- Ice cream, cream, icing sugar, raspberries to serve
Equipment-wise, the only thing people might not have is ramekins. There are plenty of cheaper options on Amazon. You can get them in sets, or some local supermarkets will probably sell them too. They aren’t ramekins, but I got my love heart-shaped little dishes from Amazon, and they were a good price. I just thought the heart-shaped dishes were cute, and I can reuse them for lots of different things but honestly, just normal round ramekins will be fine. Whatever you do, though, don’t use the ones that come with the GU Desserts in. The reason being is they won’t do well with the heat in the oven.
Method (Serves 4)
- Melt the butter and chocolate in heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water or you can do this in the microwave for a recommended time of 1 min, but I always find over a saucepan is nicer. Stir until smooth and set aside
- Beat the sugar, egg and egg yolk in a seperate bowl with either a handheld whisk or a metal whisk until pale and thick.
- Stir in the melted chocolate mixture and then fold in the flour until well combined.
- Grease your ramekins with butter and Dust the inside of each dish with the cocoa powder and then shake out any excess. Put your ramekins on a baking tray.
- Divide the mixture between the prepared dishes and chill in the fridge on the baking tray for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan.
- Bake the puddings for 10–12 minutes. They should have risen and the tops should have formed a crust. With oven gloves, turn the puddings out onto four plates.
- Serve with either cream or ice cream and decorate how you wish.
- Enjoy!
Tips
- Use high-quality ingredients if you can for instance, for the dark chocolate use 70% cocoa or higher for a rich flavour. You could also use unsalted butter.
- If melting the chocolate and butter in the microwave, make sure you do this in short bursts, as you can burn chocolate in the microwave. (This is me speaking from my own mistakes)
- Do make sure you whisk the eggs and sugar until the mixture is pale, as this will create a light texture.
- Sift in the flour gently to avoid overmixing. You want to keep as much air in the mixture as possible.
- Don’t skip greasing the molds, as this will prevent the puddings from sticking and they should come out easier.
Like I said, these are dead easy to make! Not many steps or, ingredients as you can see. They are perfect if you’re not a keen baker or short on time. You will still be presenting something everyone will enjoy. They are the perfect dessert for all year-round, and what you choose to serve them with can be seasonal, like using fruits that are in season. For an autumnal approach, serve them with some toffee sauce and some fudge pieces, or simply enjoy them on their own.
Chocolate fondants are a luxurious dessert that combines rich flavours with a delightful texture. It is a treat that will definitely impress your family and guests, and it is not that hard to make either, as there are no complicated steps. Don’t be surprised if you are repeatedly asked to make this dessert, as it is that good! Whether you want to simply enjoy them on their own, or pair them with ice cream, chocolate fondants offer a perfect balance of indulgence and satisfaction, making them a favourite choice for special occasions or a simple sweet craving. Any reason really is a good reason to make them. If you have any other ideas on to what to serve them with, please let me know. I would be interested to hear of any combinations I haven’t thought of. I love creativity! On that note, I just had an idea that maybe a few pieces of toffee popcorn alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream would probably work well! Let me know if you try this recipe, and I hope you enjoy it!
What is your favourite dessert?
Amy x
littlemissminor.com 