Rich Chocolate Fondant

A chocolate-lover’s dream from our friends at the Walnut Grove Cooking School! This rich and molten cake is a classic dessert that will please any palate. “Fondant” here is not the sugar icing, but rather the French word for “melting”  due to its warm, liquid center. It is also known as a molten chocolate cake, a lava cake, and chocolate moelleux. See all our cooking vacations in France.

Chocolate Fondant

Serves: 4 Prep time: 10 minutes Cook time: 15-20 minutes Cook method: Bake Ingredients

• 2 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 60g caster (or superfine) sugar*
• 110g butter
• 110g good quality dark chocolate
• 25g all-purpose flour, sifted
• Butter for greasing molds (or ramekins)

*Don’t have caster sugar? Put granulated sugar in the food processor and pulse several times, without letting the sugar get hot. Check out our Grand Tour of the Loire: Wines & Chateaux. Instructions 1. Melt butter & chocolate gently over a bain marie, then stir together until smooth. 2. Whisk eggs and sugar together and then add the melted butter & chocolate and whisk. 3. Fold in the sifted flour. 4. Butter four dariole molds or ramekins using cold butter and pour the mixture in until they are three quarters full. 5. Cook in a pre-heated oven 350°F (170°C) for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the top of the fondant is light but springy to the touch. 6. Carefully remove from mold and serve with vanilla ice cream, or any other flavor ice cream, fresh fruit, or any garnish of your choice. Learn about French dessert wines! Chef’s notes: This is a fairly rich pudding but for chocolate lovers a must! For best results use dariole molds, which can be easily purchased from good kitchen stores. Cooking times may vary depending on your oven – the end result of the fondant should be reasonably firm around the outside and nice and gooey on the inside! If properly cooked this is a stunning pudding so don’t be afraid to experiment with cooking times. Check out some of our other favorite dessert recipes:

• Panna Cotta from Italy (or see an alternate panna cotta recipe)
• Pear Tarte Tatin from France
• Lemon Posset from Great Britain
• Authentic French Meringues

Search our blog for more chef interviews, recipes, and destinations features. Want more chocolate? Try this recipe for drinking chocolate! By Peg Kern Sign up to receive our newsletter, which includes travel tips, recipes, promotions, and information on our best cooking vacations. Find more photos, videos, food facts, and travel stories from The International Kitchen on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and YouTube.