Easy Chocolate Fondant
Easy Chocolate Fondant
This easy chocolate fondant recipe is my go-to recipe that I’ve been using for years, and it’s always been a crowd pleaser!
A chocolate lava cake can be so intimidating to make – but I get this one right every time! It really is the best chocolate fondant recipe – perfect for 2 or to impress as a dinner party dessert idea.
I’ve elevated it slightly here with a decorative chocolate disc and crumble, but you can easily skip those and just add a good dollop of chantilly cream or ice cream!
These can also be prepped ahead of time and just kept, chilled, in the ramekins for a day, and then baked when needed. You may need to just keep an eye on the bake time as they might need a minute longer as they will be slightly more chilled.
Follow my video and step-by-step recipe to make these perfect chocolate fondants.
Looking for more chocolate dessert recipes? Check out my chocolate soufflé and pot de crème recipes.
Ingredients
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 160C/320F Non-Fan Assisted.
Add all the ingredients into the bowl or a stand mixer (or alternatively you can use your hands), and mix it until the butter has broken down and it resembles a crumble-like consistency.
Squeeze the mixture between your hands to form a dough, then crumble it up into chunks.
Spread this evenly onto a baking tray, and bake for 12 minutes. Remove it from the oven and set it to one side to cool completely.
Increase the oven temperature to 200C/390F and lightly grease 4x dariole molds with soft butter and then tip in some cocoa powder. Shake it around to coat the entire mold then tip out the excess.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water.
Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt for 2 minutes by hand.
Slowly whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the eggs and whisk to combine.
Sift over the flour, and whisk to form a thick batter.
Pipe or scoop the batter into the dariole molds and fill them up about ⅘ of the way.
Place the ramekins into the fridge for 30 minutes.
Spread the melted chocolate onto a silicon mat (or a sheet of baking paper) and spread it out into a thin even layer. Place a second silicon mat or piece of baking paper on top along with another tray and place this into the freezer for 5 minutes.
Remove it from the freezer and use a hot cookie cutter, to cut out discs the same size as your dariole molds. Lift the discs onto a tray and keep them in the fridge until ready to use.
Remove the fondants from the fridge and place them into the oven and bake for around 19 minutes. The bake time will depend on the size of the ramekin you use (mine are slightly large). When it is done, it will have puffed up, the surface will be slightly cracked but you should be able to see some slightly runny batter peaking through the centre. It can be good to take a peak at them around 12-14 minutes to see - give them a gentle poke with your finger to test the texture.
Immediately flip them out onto a plate and place a chocolate disc on top and a sprinkling of the crumble. Dust with icing sugar / powdered sugar and then serve.
Ingredients
Directions
Pre-heat the oven to 160C/320F Non-Fan Assisted.
Add all the ingredients into the bowl or a stand mixer (or alternatively you can use your hands), and mix it until the butter has broken down and it resembles a crumble-like consistency.
Squeeze the mixture between your hands to form a dough, then crumble it up into chunks.
Spread this evenly onto a baking tray, and bake for 12 minutes. Remove it from the oven and set it to one side to cool completely.
Increase the oven temperature to 200C/390F and lightly grease 4x dariole molds with soft butter and then tip in some cocoa powder. Shake it around to coat the entire mold then tip out the excess.
Melt the butter and chocolate in a bowl over a pan of gently simmering water.
Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt for 2 minutes by hand.
Slowly whisk the warm chocolate mixture into the eggs and whisk to combine.
Sift over the flour, and whisk to form a thick batter.
Pipe or scoop the batter into the dariole molds and fill them up about ⅘ of the way.
Place the ramekins into the fridge for 30 minutes.
Spread the melted chocolate onto a silicon mat (or a sheet of baking paper) and spread it out into a thin even layer. Place a second silicon mat or piece of baking paper on top along with another tray and place this into the freezer for 5 minutes.
Remove it from the freezer and use a hot cookie cutter, to cut out discs the same size as your dariole molds. Lift the discs onto a tray and keep them in the fridge until ready to use.
Remove the fondants from the fridge and place them into the oven and bake for around 19 minutes. The bake time will depend on the size of the ramekin you use (mine are slightly large). When it is done, it will have puffed up, the surface will be slightly cracked but you should be able to see some slightly runny batter peaking through the centre. It can be good to take a peak at them around 12-14 minutes to see - give them a gentle poke with your finger to test the texture.
Immediately flip them out onto a plate and place a chocolate disc on top and a sprinkling of the crumble. Dust with icing sugar / powdered sugar and then serve.
Is it really 19 minutes at 200’c ?
yes! My dariole molds are quite big so it might need less time if you have a smaller mold. I tried 12m and it collapsed immediately!
30 mins at 200 you are kidding
30 minutes chilling – 19m bake!
19 minutes ended up way too long for mine, but thankfully I only cooked one as a test run. Tomorrow, I will adjust to about 14 minutes. It still tasted great.
yes it does seem quite long, my mold it a little bigger so might be why mine takes longer! Great job doing the test run!!
Can I use any chocolate from a store ,, is tempered chocolate better ?
Store chocolate is totally fine!
Which dariole molds do you use?
These ones! https://amzn.to/3Sr5HqU
J use this recipe now 4months
Serving more than 100happy customers every week. Thankyou matt
amazing!
Can you prepare them ahead and bake later?
Yes! Just chill it in the fridge in the ramekins
Thank you- I made this for an early father’s day dessert and it was so easy! Can you freeze these before cooking, please? Thank you
I haven’t tried – you would be able to yes! Will just to longer to bake 🙂
Hi Matt,
How much would you alter the cooking time if you were to do 14 at a time. So long as they’re evenly spaced out and not cramped i thought 22 minutes perhaps?
Many thanks,
Jamie
Hopefully the heat distribution in the oven should mean the timing isn’t affected too much! Only maybe a minute or two longer