Chocolate Fondant Puddings

Chocolate fondant puddings are those soft-centred dark chocolate desserts of deliciousness.  You know, the ones that look like a small mud cake but gently cascade a molten flow of chocolate when opened with a spoon?

I am always torn when I eat out at a great restaurant, and these are on the dessert menu.  On the one hand, there are often at least a couple of other truly awesome sounding desserts, that I know I will love. On the other hand - molten chocolate goop!  Normally, the fondant pudding wins.

Now, I make them at home all the time, so I am free to branch out when we go out to dinner (anything involving peanuts and caramel?  Yes please!).

These are so incredibly easy.  Ridiculously so, considering the end result.  This is one of those recipes that is almost more time consuming to type out than it is to make.  The best part is, they cook best from frozen, so you can knock up a batch, stash them in the freezer, and you are only ever about 15 minutes away from the ultimate chocolate dessert.  Dangerous...

You will need:

50g melted butter (for brushing)

Cocoa for dusting

200g best quality dark chocolate (minimum 70 per cent cocoa)

200g butter, in small pieces

Pinch of salt

200g golden caster sugar

4 whole eggs

4 egg yolks

200g plain flour

This recipe makes nine.  So you need nine 200ml ramekins.  Or you can use a tray of large muffin tins, apparently.

To start, melt your chocolate and butter together in a double boiler (or over very low heat in a heavy bottomed saucepan).  Add pinch of salt, set aside.

Brush the inside of each ramekin with melted butter, then whack them in the freezer.  Once set, paint on another layer of melted butter, and add a good spoonful of cocoa powder into the ramekin.  Tip so that the powder completely coats the butter, then tap upside down to remove any excess.  Repeat until the ramekins are all done.

Whisk the eggs, egg yolks and caster sugar together until thick ribbons form when you lift the whisk.  I'd say at least 5 minutes with an electric stand mixer.

Sift the flour into the egg mixture, and beat together.

Add the melted chocolate and butter in thirds, beating well between each addition, until well combined.  It will resemble very thick, light cake batter.

Divide evenly between the nine ramekins.  Freeze.

When you're ready to cook them - or just one! - simply preheat the oven to 200 degrees (180 fan forced), and pop them in for between 14 - 17 minutes.  This really depends on your oven.  If you are serving 8 people, still cook the 9 the first time, as you can check one before you pull them out.  In my oven, 16 minutes is spot on.

You want the top to still look a bit goopy in the middle.  Err on the side of undercooked:

Once they are out, run a butter knife around the edges, then invert the ramekin into the serving bowl.  Leave to sit for a minute, then pull the ramekin off.  Serve with plenty of vanilla ice cream (recipe HERE).  If you were serving them to guests, I'd add a dusting of cocoa on top, and perhaps a drizzle of caramel or berry coulis, but they are just brilliant as is.

PS in our house, ramekins are called panicins.  Or panekins, depending on how you want to spell it.  My dad once called to ask for a recipe, and opened with, "you know those things that are cooked in, oh, panicins, are they called?" and I have never stopped laughing about it.  Every single time I use a ramekin, I get hardcore giggles, as 'panicin' conjures up such a sense of dessert emergency.