Chocolate fondant

Chocolate fondant

A gooey prepare-ahead dessert that's perfect for entertaining - it's all a matter of timing...

Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Makes 9 fondants

Preparation and cooking times

Cook time

Cook 15 mins

Prep 45 mins plus chilling
Freezable

Can be frozen uncooked

Method

  1. First get your moulds ready. Using upward strokes, heavily brush the melted butter all over the inside of the pudding mould. Place the mould in the fridge or freezer. Brush more melted butter over the chilled butter, then add a good spoonful of cocoa powder into the mould. Tip the mould so the powder completely coats the butter. Tap any excess cocoa back into the jar, then repeat with 1 the next mould.
  2. Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then slowly melt the chocolate and butter together. Remove bowl from the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for about 10 mins.
  3. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and yolks together with the sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail; use an electric whisk if you want. Sift the flour into the eggs, then beat together.
  4. Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture in thirds, beating well between each addition, until all the chocolate is added and the mixture is completely combined to a loose cake batter.
  5. Tip the fondant batter into a jug, then evenly divide between the moulds. The fondants can now be frozen for up to a month and cooked from frozen. Chill for at least 20 mins or up to the night before. To bake from frozen, simply carry on as stated, adding 5 mins more to the cooking time.
  6. Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place the fondants on a baking tray, then cook for 10-12 mins until the tops have formed a crust and they are starting to come away from the sides of their moulds. Remove from the oven, then leave to sit for 1 min before turning out.
  7. Loosen the fondants by moving the tops very gently so they come away from the sides, easing them out of the moulds. Tip each fondant slightly onto your hand so you know it has come away, then tip back into the mould ready to plate up.
  8. Starting from the middle of each plate, squeeze a spiral of caramel sauce - do all the plates you need before you go on to the next stage.
  9. Sit a fondant in the middle of each plate. Using a large spoon dipped in hot water, scoop a 'quenelle' of ice cream.
  10. Carefully place the ice cream on top of the fondant, then serve immediately. Repeat with the rest of the fondants.
Try

Tins or ramekins?

As we make the fondants in such great volumes in my restaurants we use disposable 150ml aluminium muffin tins, but ramekins work just as well. The cooking times I have given here are for ramekins but if you want to use the muffin tins then 10 mins in the oven will be fine.

9 puddings for 8 guests

If you are making the fondants for a dinner party I would advise you cook one extra as an 'insurance policy' that you can test for doneness. If everything goes according to plan I'm sure there will be no shortage of guests wanting second helpings.

Variations

Once you have mastered the fondants it's very easy to adapt their flavour. For a boozy version add a generous splash of Baileys to the melted chocolate. You can also make a chocolate and orange version by adding the finely grated zest of 1 large orange and an optional splash of orange liqueur.

PER SERVING

581 kcalories, protein 9g, carbohydrate 52g, fat 40 g, saturated fat 21g, fibre 0g, sugar 30g, salt 0.55 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, November 2008.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 121-140

  • Binder photo Julie

    08 February 2010

    Julie rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo EAYL

    09 February 2010

    EAYL rated this recipe

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  • Binder photo iyong

    09 February 2010

    iyong rated this recipe

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  • Binder photo Emmamason

    28 February 2010

    Emmamason rated this recipe

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  • Binder photo Emily:)

    13 March 2010

    Emily:) rated this recipe

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  • Binder photo marsbarz

    28 March 2010

    marsbarz rated this recipe

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  • Binder photo fridaygirl

    03 April 2010

    fridaygirl rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This recipe easy to follow, the result was fantastic! I am now a goddess in the eyes of my chocolate loving man!!

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  • Binder photo rudi11

    06 April 2010

    rudi11 commented on this recipe

    Found this easy to do. Have made several times now, each one a success, even when cooking from frozen. Have become a real family favourite.

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  • Binder photo Joe

    11 April 2010

    Joe rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    These taste heavenly. I'm not a good cook but I made a batch of these and everyone thought I was a master chef, secretly I knew that this is soooo easy to make but shhhhh don't tell anyone!

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  • Binder photo Karina

    14 May 2010

    Karina rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made these for Easter lunch just recently. I hadn't made fondants before either as I was worried they wouldn't work after seeing so many failures on tv, but they were just fantastic! The first ones I made I cooked for 12 mins and they were perfect, the second ones I left in for only 10 mins and they were just a little too runny. Will certainly be making them again!

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  • Binder photo olivialw

    08 June 2010

    olivialw commented on this recipe

    Really enjoyed these as did the family however the whole top part was runny and not cooked. We cooked them fro 12 mins, any ideas why?

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  • Binder photo JHeidar

    30 June 2010

    JHeidar rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was my first try at making fondant, it was so easy and tasted great!! I have some in the freezer now for when friends come over. :D

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  • Binder photo adelphi10

    03 July 2010

    adelphi10 rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Due to the reputation of chocolate fondants being tricky with timings, I had a practice run of these tonight ready for a dinner party next week. I agree with all the comments here - so easy to make, delicious and timings accurate (it is difficult to trust them because it just doesn't seem long enough)!!!! I ended up cooking mine for 11 and a half minutes. Very rich so will probably serve with fruit next week. Hope all my friends enjoy them as much as we did this evening!

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  • Binder photo Chef_Ryan98

    27 July 2010

    Chef_Ryan98 commented on this recipe

    Hello Good Food users i am 12 ( Male ) and i am in love with cooking so ... by the looks of these amazing comments i am going to try it . So thank you Gordan and everyone single user of Good Food :) :) :) x

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  • Binder photo happychappie

    06 August 2010

    happychappie commented on this recipe

    Hi, Can somebody confirm if the recipe when it refers to eggs is 4 whole eggs (incl white and yoke) then 4 more egg yokes as well? ie 8 egg yokes and 4 egg whites? I have friends round for dinner tomorrow night and would like to make it edible!!!

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  • Binder photo wild olive

    11 August 2010

    wild olive commented on this recipe

    I'd like to make this for 10 people. How do you recommend extending the recipe? Should I do 1.5 times the recipe and freeze the excess mixture or will this quantity stretch to 10 pax?

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  • Binder photo Kiwi chick

    17 August 2010

    Kiwi chick rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Awesome! So so nice and really easy. Definately make again.

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  • Binder photo Longview

    22 August 2010

    Longview rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Outstanding!! I have wanted to make this dessert since seeing it on Masterchef, but was a bit intimidated. But I needn't have been as it is easy to prepare and if you stick to the recipe the results are amazing. And one thing I'd stress is don't skip the preparation of the ramekins, the fondants just popped out, no dramas at all. No need to change anything with this recipe, it's a hit!

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  • Binder photo Babs from Granada

    25 August 2010

    Babs from Granada commented on this recipe

    I made this for the first time back in December 2008, since then they are a firm favourite. I do a lot of entertaining and if I ask any of the guests, what desert they would like Chocolate Fondants are always at the top of the list

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  • Binder photo tina

    29 August 2010

    tina commented on this recipe

    wow this is an amazing desert. My fiance is a big fan of master chef and said this is suppose to be a difficult pud to master. I did it (or rather Gordan did) and felt sooo proud of myself. I will definately be making this again next time we have friends round. Very impressive.

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Difficulty and servings

Moderately easy

Makes 9 fondants

Preparation and cooking times

Cook time

Cook 15 mins

Prep 45 mins plus chilling
Freezable

Can be frozen uncooked

Ingredients

  • 50g melted butter , for brushing
  • cocoa powder , for dusting
  • 200g good-quality dark chocolate , chopped into small pieces
  • 200g butter , in small pieces
  • 200g golden caster sugar
  • 4 eggs and 4 yolks
  • 200g plain flour
  • Caramel sauce (see 'Goes well with') and vanilla ice cream or orange sorbet, to serve
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PER SERVING

581 kcalories, protein 9g, carbohydrate 52g, fat 40 g, saturated fat 21g, fibre 0g, sugar 30g, salt 0.55 g

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