Chocolate Fondant Cakes Recipe

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5 from 6 votes

Chocolate Fondant Cakes Recipe

Make ooey gooey hot chocolate fondant cakes in just 20 minutes with this easy recipe.

Prep Time12

Cook Time8

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American, British

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings:

Calories: 596kcal

Author: Helen

Equipment

Ingredients

1 -2 tsp cocoa powder for dusting the inside of the pudding moulds (Note 1)
65 g unsalted butter + a little extra for greasing
85 g chocolate either dark or half milk and half dark depending on your preference (Note 2)
1 egg
1 egg yolk
¼ tsp vanilla essence optional
30 g brown sugar (Note 3)
15 g all-purpose / plain flour
1 pinch sea or kosher salt

To serve:

sifted icing sugar for dusting
Ice cream
Fresh berries

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat the oven to 220°C or 430°F
Grease the pudding molds and dust with cocoa powder (Note 4)
Melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave or on the stove in a pyrex bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. (Note 5)
Meanwhile, beat the eggs in one bowl and mix the sugar, flour and salt in another.
When the butter and chocolate have melted add the vanilla essence.
Mix in the eggs and incorporate the dry ingredients. Continue to mix until smooth. (Note 6)
Spoon into the molds, ramekins or a muffin tray.
Bake the cakes in the middle of the oven for approx. 8 minutes. (Note 7 & 8)
Loosen the sides with a flat knife and turn upside down over a plate or bowl to remove them from the moulds. If you are using ramekins, you can skip this step. (Note 9)
Serve with cream, ice cream and/or fresh fruit

Notes

Cocoa powder: Line the molds with greaseproof/parchment paper instead or bake and serve the cakes in ramekins.
Chocolate: I advise against using 100% milk. The fondant cakes will be too sweet.
Brown sugar: I use brown to add a rich caramel taste as well as sweetness, but you can use golden or white sugar instead.
Dusting: Do this over the sink to reduce mess.
Melting the butter and chocolate on the stove: Fill a saucepan with a small amount of water, bring to boil, reduce to a simmer and place the pyrex bowl containing the chocolate and butter on top until they are fully melted, stirring regularly.
Mixing: You can mix by hand or use an electric mixer. I normally mix by hand because it is very quick and not worth the additional washing up.
Cooking time: May vary depending on the size of the container you are using. If in doubt check sooner to avoid over-cooking. The pudding molds I have tested the recipe in are 200ml or just over ¾ cup.
Doneness: Gently touch the top center with your finger. They should have a firm outer layer while still feeling soft and slightly jiggly in the centre.
Removing the cooked lava cakes from the pudding molds: If you find it hard to pick up the hot (and often slippery) pudding mold with oven gloves, you can use kitchen tongs for this step.

Storage:

Lava cakes are best served immediately, but you can store a cooked lava cake in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat it in the microwave.

Making ahead:

Prepare the batter, pour it into the molds and then put it into the fridge until you are ready to cook the lava cakes in the oven. The cooking time might be a little longer if you are cooking them from cold.

Nutrition