Chocolate Fondant - Triumph or Tragedy ?

On the UK's version of Masterchef more contestants have tried and failed making a chocolate fondant - you know cake on the outside and runnyish cake mixture (some say raw) on the inside.

I have never made one but have yelled at the TV (yes that is true) to tell the contestants not to - what, surely they want to go further in the show?

Here in Australia, Masterchef has just finished, and is a different format to the UK one (personally I prefer the UK version as it's more about the food than the contestants, but I do prefer the master classes and other "games" they play), regardless of my point of view it has been a ratings success.

On one episode, a contestant (Callum I believe) made 36 chocolate fondants to be served at a dinner party held by our Governor General and yet little drama was over if they would work or not (well a comment was made but on the UK Masterchef it is a big deal).

There is literally a minute between triumph and tragedy.

They are really not hard to make and my initial motivation was that I had 12 eggs given to me by my neighbour from her chickens who are laying like demons (even in winter), as I already had a couple of dozen in the fridge (from another neighbour whose chickens are performing the same, not surprisingly) I wanted to use up some eggs.

We had french omelettes for dinner so that took care of 6 eggs and this recipe took care of the remaining six eggs (albeit I have 3 egg whites left over for meringues which I will do later today), but I digress.

Chocolate fondant - a recipe, I know Nigella has one and there are loads on the internet but I turned to Rachel Allen who had a recipe for Chocolate Lava Cakes (chocolate fondants by another name)in her book BAKE. Maybe there is a copyright issue?

Regardless, she has a recipe that looked easy enough, wasn't going to take long to prepare or bake (for obvious reasons) and used up 6 eggs! Perfect all the boxes ticked.

Chocolate Lava Cakes - Chocolate Fondants

Ingredients

150gms good quality dark chocolate (I used 58% couverture chocolate buttons)
125gms butter plus a little more for greasing the ramekins
3 eggs and 3 egg yolks (Thanks to Daisy, Maisy & Myrtle)
75gms caster sugar
50gms plain flour
25gms good quality cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting (I actually used drinking chocolate but I had Dutch cocoa in the cupboard)

Method

Preheat your oven to 180C (I used fan forced and set it at 175C).

Grease the ramekins (about 8cm in diameter will get you 4 very generous lava cakes/fondants) with butter and place on a baking tray.

Put the chocolate which is broken up (if you are not using buttons) and the butter into a bowl, and place over barely simmering water to melt. It will be lovely and glossy!

Whisk the eggs and the sugar together until pale and fluffy (I used my Kitchenaid with a whisk attachment) I wasn't doing THAT by hand!

Add the egg mixture to the chocolate - or the other way in my case because the bowl was bigger and fold it in using a large metal spoon (you could use a spatula but I find a spoon much more effective).

Sift the flour and the cocoa into the eggy chocolate mixture and fold gently until just combined.

Place into the ramekins evenly and bake in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until just risen and firm to the touch.


Now here is where you have to touch and determine - triumph or tragedy!

After 10 minutes in my oven at 175C fan forced I tested them and I just didn't think they had risen enough or where they firm enough, mmmmm...what to do - ok, I gave them another 2 minutes - that's 12 minutes........clock is ticking........tested again.............nope I am still not confident they are right - what to do - ok another 3 minutes (yes that 50% longer than the recipe states)!

My husband was making the coffee going - "well what's the worse thing if you have cooked them too long we just have a baked cake - better than "raw" ". He says.

Okay he is making the coffee, I am standing in front the oven staring into it hoping I haven't made the classic UK Masterchef mistake.

The 3 minutes is up I touch them, I reckon they are right.

Out of then oven.

Step one achieved.

Step 2 get a sharp knife and carfeuly run it around the inside of the ramekin to loosen. Done without breaking it.

Step 3 turn it oven onto a plate without dropping it or burning your hands. - Achieved!

Step 4 - and this is the BIG one, cut into the chocolate lava cake and hope ..............

TRIUMPH!

I probably should have taken them out at 14 minutes to be a little runnier but comparing it to the photo in Rachel Allens Bake book they look the same but still, in my oven, on that night at that temperature - 14 minutes.

So how did they taste - glorious - my husband loved them - I only ate 3/4's of one but that is because I am severly allergic to chocolate, especially dark, my heart rate went to about 170 in no time and I was sweating, a beta blocker soon stopped it but...............it was worth it - oh so worth it.

Sometimes you just have to take one for the team.

I wonder if I could buy white chocolate cocoa?