Chocolate Orange Fondants
Our chocolate orange fondants are a twist on the classic dessert. Super chocolatey with molten centres, these are insanely good!
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If you’re a fan of a Terry’s chocolate orange at Christmas, this is the dessert for you! These chocolate orange fondants are incredibly rich & have that classic molten centre. A great alternative dessert to Christmas pudding…
Although these gooey chocolate cakes have a bit of a reputation for being difficult to get right, with a few tips & tricks and an easy to follow recipe, you’ll be cooking perfectly cooked fondants in no time!
If you’d like to read more festive recipes, take a look at our Christmas collection! We’ve got recipes for a wide range of dishes, from classic sides & main courses to easy to make desserts & baking…
What Are Chocolate Fondants?
Chocolate fondants are a popular classic dessert that originates from France. Baked correctly, this cake will be soft on the outside & molten in the middle. Fondants are similar to chocolate lava cakes but tend to contain less flour but more chocolate & butter.
What You’ll Need
To make 6 chocolate fondants…
- 150ml Pudding Moulds (6)
For this recipe, you’ll need six, 150ml pudding moulds. These also need to be greased with butter & dusted with cocoa powder before adding in the fondant batter. - Dark Chocolate (220g)
Use a good dark chocolate here. I find that one with 72% cocoa works best. - Unsalted Butter (220g)
Using unsalted butter is best as it allows us more control of the salt content in the fondant batter. - Cocoa Powder (20g)
For the best flavour, we’re using Dutch processed cocoa powder for the fondants. If in you’re in the UK, I’d recommend Green & Black’s. - Caster Sugar (160g)
I find that caster sugar works best for this recipe but if you’d prefer a slightly caramelised flavour, you could use light brown sugar instead. - Eggs (3 Whole & 3 Yolks)
You’ll need 3 large eggs & 3 yolks for this recipe. The extra yolks make the fondants even richer! - Plain Flour (80g)
You’ll need to use plain flour in the fondant batter. Make sure to sift it, to prevent any lumps forming. - Orange Extract (1½ tsp)
We’re using orange extract to flavour our chocolate fondants. This can be found in some supermarkets or it is available online. If you’d prefer to make regular chocolate fondants, feel free to leave the orange out.
How To Make Chocolate Orange Fondants
The full, printable recipe card for these fondants can be found at the bottom of this post!
Step 1 – Greasing The Moulds
Before making the fondant batter, we need to prepare 6 pudding moulds. To do this, grease each mould with softened butter then dust with cocoa powder. These then get set aside in the fridge until our batter is ready.
Step 2 – Melting The Chocolate & Butter
Now onto the batter. First, roughly chop up the dark chocolate then place into a heatproof bowl along with the unsalted butter & sea salt. Place the bowl over a pan of barely simmering water then leave to melt, stirring occasionally.
Once melted, sift cocoa powder into the chocolate then whisk to combine. Leave to cool slightly whilst you prepare the eggs.
Step 3 – Whisking Eggs
Next, place the eggs, yolks & sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer & whisk on a medium speed until light & fluffy. This will take around 4-5 minutes (the whisk will leave a trail in the eggs, when they’re ready).
When the eggs are ready, keep the mixer running on a medium-low speed & slowly pour in the melted chocolate then whisk until just combined.
Step 4 – Mix In Flour & Orange Extract
Once all the chocolate has been incorporated, take the bowl off the mixer, add in the orange extract & sift in the flour. Fold in with a rubber spatula until just combined then give the batter a quick whisk by hand, to make sure that it is completely smooth.
Step 5 – Chilling The Fondants
Using a ladle or large spoon, transfer the batter into the greased moulds then chill them in the fridge for at least an hour or up to 3 days. I find that overnight works best.
Step 6 – Baking
Preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f).
Once the oven has preheated, take the fondants out of the fridge, place onto a baking tray & cook for 10-12 minutes.
If this is your first time making this recipe, I’d recommend baking a single fondant off first, as a tester. Every oven will cook chocolate fondants slightly differently, so by cooking a tester, you’ll know the exact cooking time for the remaining fondants!
Step 7 – Serving
Once cooked, let the fondants sit for 2 minutes then run a small knife around the top & turn out onto plates. Dust lightly with icing sugar & serve immediately.
Chocolate Fondants Tips & Tricks
- When making the batter, sieve the flour & cocoa to prevent any lumps. Giving the batter a quick whisk by hand after folding in the flour helps as well!
- Chill your fondants for at least an hour before baking. This will help keep the centres molten once cooked.
- Cook a single fondant off first, as a tester. Every oven will cook chocolate fondants slightly differently so by cooking one on it’s own first, you’ll know the exact cooking time for the rest of them!
- For the perfect molten centre, let the fondants sit for 2 minutes after baking then turn them out of the moulds & serve immediately.
What To Serve With Chocolate Fondants
These chocolate orange fondants are incredibly chocolatey so they are best served with something that will cut through this richness. This could be ice cream, clotted cream or simply pouring cream. Fresh fruit would also work well…
Cooking Chocolate Fondants In An Aga
With all of my recipes, I include cooking instructions for conventional ovens, fan ovens & also Agas.
To cook chocolate orange fondants in an Aga, cook them for 11 minutes in the roasting oven, on the bottom set of runners. Once cooked, let them stand for 2 minutes then turn out & serve immediately.
Equipment Used
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More Recipes To Try!
- Baileys Vanilla Rice Pudding
- Amaretto Tiramisu
- Apple & Walnut Strudel
- Raspberry Ripple Stracciatella
- Halva Ice Cream
- Vanilla Panna Cotta & Roasted Strawberries
- Brown Butter & Miso Treacle Tart
- Barbecue Banana Custard
If you have enjoyed this chocolate orange fondant recipe, it would mean a lot if you could leave a review & rating!
Chocolate Orange Fondant
Equipment
- 6 150ml Pudding Moulds
- Stand Mixer
- Sieve
- Baking Tray
- Heatproof Bowl
- Large Saucepan
Ingredients
Greasing The Moulds
- 10 g Unsalted Butter Softened
- 1-2 tsp Cocoa Powder
Chocolate Fondants
- 220 g Dark Chocolate
- 220 g Unsalted Butter
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
- 20 g Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder
- 160 g Caster Sugar
- 3 Large Eggs
- 3 Egg Yolks
- 80 g Plain Flour Sifted
- 1½ tsp Orange Extract
- Icing Sugar For Dusting The Cooked Fondants
Instructions
Greasing The Moulds
- Start by generously greasing the inside of each mould with the softened butter. Next, add a spoonful of cocoa powder into a mould then move it around so that the butter is completely covered in the cocoa. Tip out any excess cocoa powder.Repeat with the remaining moulds then place them in the fridge.
Chocolate Fondants
- Roughly chop the chocolate & place into a heatproof bowl along with the butter & sea salt. Place over a pan of barely simmering water (making sure that the water doesn’t touch the bowl) & leave to melt, stirring occasionally.
- Once melted, remove from the heat, sieve in the cocoa powder then whisk to combine. Leave to cool while you prepare the eggs.
- Place the eggs, yolks & sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer & whisk on a medium speed until light & fluffy. This will take around 4-5 minutes.The whisk will leave a trail in the eggs, when they’re ready.
- When the eggs are ready, keep the mixer running on a medium-low speed & slowly pour in the melted chocolate then whisk until just combined.
- Once all the chocolate has been incorporated, take the bowl off the mixer & add in the flour & orange extract. Fold in with a rubber spatula until just combined then give the batter a quick whisk by hand, to make sure that it is completely smooth.
- Using a ladle or large spoon, transfer the batter into the greased moulds then chill in the fridge for at least an hour or up to 3 days. I find that overnight works best.
Cooking The Fondants
- Preheat an oven to 200°c/180°c fan (392°f/356°f).
- Once the oven has preheated, take the fondants out of the fridge, place onto a baking tray & cook for 10-12 minutes.The fondants should be well risen & the tops will have formed a crust (see note #3).
- Let the cooked fondants stand for 2 minutes, run a small knife around the top to release then turn out onto plates. Dust each fondant lightly with icing sugar then serve.
