Chocolate Fondants

Decadent, rich, and irresistibly gooey – these chocolate fondants are pure indulgence. Made with premium Valrhona chocolate (66 per cent cocoa) for deep flavour, each pudding hides a molten centre just waiting to spill out. Best served warm with a dusting of cocoa, a dollop of crème fraîche, and berries, if you can get them.

Makes 4

Ingredients

• 125 g unsalted butter
• 125 g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3 free-range eggs
• 4 tbsp caster (superfine) sugar
• 2 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
• 1 tbsp dark cocoa powder

To Serve

• extra dark cocoa powder for dusting
• 4 tbsp crème fraîche
• fresh raspberries
• fresh blueberries

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease 4 x 250 ml (9 fl oz) capacity individual pudding moulds.

Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and place over a saucepan of simmering water (making sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water) and melt.

Remove bowl and set aside.

Lightly whisk the eggs, then sift in the sugar, flour and cocoa powder. Add the melted butter and chocolate mixture and carefully mix to combine.

Place the mixture in the moulds until three-quarters full and then place in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes. Remove from the fridge, lightly tap moulds on the benchtop to remove any air bubbles.

To bake, place the moulds on a baking tray and bake for 8–10 minutes until the chocolate fondants are just beginning to come away at the sides and the centres are still a little wobbly.

Remove from the oven and turn out onto serving plates.

Serve each chocolate fondant dusted with cocoa powder, a dollop of crème fraîche and berries.

Recipe extracted from Botswana Butchery: The Cookbook