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Simple and Easy Chocolate Fondants

Last Updated on June 10, 2020 by Leyla Kazim

I am once again left with egg yolks going spare from the egg white cookies of yesterday. Readers may recall the option I took the last time I was faced with this predicament – crème brûlée. This time, I’m going with chocolate fondants.

These are bleedin’ excellent. They’re incredibly easy to make, very difficult to mess up, and look the business. Is there anyone in the world that doesn’t love a gooey middle? What’s even better is they’re perfect make ahead desserts. They can be popped into the freezer after being made up and cooked in the oven straight from frozen. Excellent if you want to get ahead for some dinner party planning. But even better than that – simply knowing you have them in stock for when you’re hankering for some sin.

Recipe for simple and easy chocolate fondants

I challenge anyone to resist them.

45 mins prep plus 15 minutes cooking

Makes 4

  • Some melted butter for brushing
  • Cocoa powder for dusting
  • 100g good quality dark chocolate
  • 100g butter
  • 100g golden caster sugar
  • 2 whole eggs and 2 egg yolks
  • 100g plain flour

Now coat the insides with cocoa powder. The best way to do this is tip a load into a ramekin, hold it so it’s almost on it’s side, then rotate the ramekin so all of the sides are coated in the powder. You don’t want to leave any part uncovered. Do this over your pot of cocoa powder so any that falls out falls back into the pot – no need for waste. This preparation ensures they’re easy to get out once cooked.

Melt the chocolate and butter. Recipes always tell you to do this over a bowl of simmering water – I see this effort as unnecessary. Put the chocolate and butter in a bowl and microwave for a few seconds at a time – give it a good stir each time you check it. As long as you don’t over heat it, this is a much quicker way of melting chocolate. The risk here is that if you leave it in too long, the chocolate will overheat and split – so keep an eye on it.


In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar together for a good 10 minutes until they’re thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail. I would recommend using an electric device for this.

Sift the flour into the eggs, then beat together with a wooden spoon or with the beater attachment of an electric stand mixer.

Pour the melted chocolate and butter into the mixture in thirds, beating between each addition so the mixtures are fully combined before adding more. You’ll end up with a loose cake batter.

Take a large spoon and equally fill the four ramekins with the batter. Chill for at least 20 minutes before cooking.Tip | At this stage, you can cover them with cling film and pop them in the freezer. When you want to cook them, simply carry on as stated and add a few more minutes to the cooking time.

Heat the oven to 200C / fan 180C / gas 6. Place the fondants on a baking tray and bake for around 10-12 minutes.

You’re looking for a crust to have formed on the top, and they should just start to come away from the sides of the ramekin. When they’re done, remove from the oven and let them sit for a minute before turning them out.

I find the best way to get these out is to get a sharp knife round the edge to ensure they’re fully detached from the sides. Then with the ramekin in an oven glove, gently tip it onto a plate. They look much better the right way up, so I then tip this back onto another plate.

I’ve made these many many times and have never had a problem with teasing them out. If you do – it doesn’t matter. They’ll still taste incredible.

Enjoy with a glass of milk and a sullied conscience.

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Leyla Kazim
Leyla Kazim

Spending most of my time either eating or travelling. Constantly in awe of nature and on a mission to seek the joy in every moment. Please feel free to leave a comment below, I love hearing from you all!

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4 Comments

  1. Micky
    November 9, 2012 / 22:13

    Hmmmm…. Mine didn't turn out how I wanted 🙁
    My egg, flour and chocolate mix didn't turn our like cake batter – more of a soft block resembling a cornflake cupcake. 🙁

    Also, you mention golden caster sugar in the ingredients but there is no mention in the instructions.

    • Leyla
      November 12, 2012 / 12:58

      Ah Micky, you've spotted an error I have made! You are correct in that I managed to miss out the sugar reference – apologies (amateur blogger schoolboy)! The sugar must be beaten with the eggs and egg yolks, until thick and pale. I'll amend that right away. I suspect that might be what set you off on the wrong foot. Once you've whisked them all, the egg / sugar mixture should look like the picture. Then you add the flour and combine with a wooden spoon. Then you add the melted chocolate in thirds, again combining each time. The batter won't be runny necessarily, you can see the pics of mine in the ramekins – they're quite tough. But once cooked, they soften with the gooey middle. Perhaps another try?

  2. RickyB
    October 30, 2012 / 19:20

    I'm definitely going to make these next week Leyla! It's food like this that turns me on! I always thought the gooey inside of the Fondant was a separate step in the process.

    I can't wait!! Well done! x

    Micky B

    • Leyla
      October 30, 2012 / 23:18

      Yay – glad it's inspired you to give it a try! They really are easy – and so freaking good. Let me know how they go 🙂 x

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