Decadent dark chocolate molten cakes with a bright pop of raspberry. # 332: Raspberry Chocolate Fondants

Happy Valentines’ Day! Bring on all the chocolate, pretty please.

When I hear “fondant” I picture thick, overly-sweet frosting on professional cakes. But what I’m learning from playing the NY Times Connections game regularly is to never ignore a second definition. Fondant comes from the French word “fondre” which means “melt” or “melting”, which is perfect for these little cakes that literally melt in your mouth. They’re a version of a molten or lava cake, but think less liquid center and more gooey fudge center while still being light and fluffy. Absolute magic.

I made classic lava cakes back in 2017 and while they were fun, this version is what I want to make on repeat.

Equal amounts of flour, sugar and butter (1/4 cup each if making a half batch), plus an egg to hold it all together. One or two raspberries per cake and few ounces dark chocolate. Definitely trying to commit this recipe to memory so I can make them anytime, anywhere!

With no added rising agents, the egg is in charge of air bubble construction. Whisked with sugar, it’ll turn thicker and paler in color when it’s happy and full of teeny bubbles of trapped air, ready to expand in the oven.

Yay chocolate! You could melt the butter and chocolate in a bain marie if you’re feeling it, or you can just gently microwave it in 10 second bursts with lots of stirring in between.

This mini bundt pan is clingy and hates letting go of cakes, so I improvised a bit with a few tartlet tins as a back-up plan. The recipe suggested painting the molds with butter and then freezing it so it doesn’t just pool at the bottom. So smart!

Don’t forget to hide the jewel in the center.

To the oven!

Butter overflow art.

Ok the tartlet tins win for cuteness.

And the mini bundt pan got overzealous and over-baked the edges of it’s cakes. Sigh. It might be time to turn it into the worlds cutest seedling propagation tin. Shhh don’t tell it.

Happy munching!

Recipe from: Crumb by Ruby Tandoh