Chocolate fondant or lava cake? What a difference it makes when it’s delicious and quick to prepare. A decadent dessert with a warm, rich, liquid center, it’s the perfect treat for a romantic evening.
This dish was invented by French chef Michel Bras in 1981. The French often make fondues at home, so you can definitely rely on their experience. Moreover, to prepare a chocolate dessert you only need 5 ingredients. The author of this recipe, designed for 6 servings, is French chef Christophe Felder.
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 140 g sugar
- 135 g dark chocolate (55-70% cocoa – to your taste)
- 120 g butter (unsalted)
- 45 g flour
- 1 pinch of salt (optional)
Start by preparing the dough. Gently melt the chocolate chips and cubed butter, preferably in a double boiler, holding the bowl over a pan of simmering water. However, you can do this in the microwave.
In a bowl, vigorously whisk the sugar with 4 whole eggs until you achieve a smooth, lighter-colored texture. You can use a food processor for easier mixing.
Slowly pour the chocolate-butter mixture into the sugar-egg mixture, stirring continuously. Add flour, a pinch of salt (optional if using this ingredient in your dessert) and stir the mixture. The dough is ready.
The secret to the liquid center in the fondant is to refrigerate the mixture for at least 1 hour before baking the lava cake at high temperature. The high temperature will quickly bake the fondant on the outside, but on the inside it will not have time to bake, but will simply warm up and melt, which will create a “lava” effect under the thin baked crust. So pour the mixture into greased ramekins (or muffin tins) and place them in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Bake the fondants for 9–10 minutes at 200°C. The chocolate dessert will be ready when the edges are visually cooked, and the center remains melted under a more or less fried thin crust.
It may take a little practice before you get it perfect in your oven. Some cooks claim that they keep the fondant for about 10 minutes in a preheated oven at 200 °C. Try making your first (small) batch and see what you get. Keep experimenting until you find the right baking time for your oven and preferences (it may be perfect the first time).
Serve fondant or, as it is also called, chocolate fudge immediately and eat warm, otherwise the dessert will lose its unique properties and memorable consistency. If you made the lava cake in a mold, eat it with a spoon. What to serve fondant with? The classic option is to lightly dust it with powdered sugar to dress it up, but this is not necessary.
This dessert can also be served with ice cream or sorbet, vanilla custard, whipped cream, fresh fruit salad, lemon mousse or other ingredients of your choice.
