### Dark Chocolate Fondant with Salted Caramel Centre & Crème Fraîche
**Serves 4**
**Time:** 25 minutes prep + 12 minutes baking (plus chilling)
#### Ingredients
**For the fondants**
- 150 g good dark chocolate (70–75%), chopped
- 150 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
- 3 whole eggs + 3 egg yolks
- 90 g caster sugar
- 60 g plain flour
- Pinch of flaky sea salt
**For the salted caramel centres**
- 80 g soft caramel (good-quality shop-bought or homemade)
- Pinch of flaky sea salt
**To serve**
- Crème fraîche or lightly whipped double cream
- Extra flaky sea salt
- Optional: a few fresh raspberries or a dusting of cocoa
#### Method
1. **Prep the moulds**
Generously butter 4 dariole moulds or ramekins (about 150–180 ml). Dust with cocoa powder and tap out the excess. Place in the fridge.
2. **Make the batter**
Melt the chocolate and butter together over a pan of barely simmering water (or in short bursts in the microwave). Stir until smooth and glossy, then leave to cool for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, yolks and sugar until thick, pale and doubled in volume (about 3–4 minutes with an electric whisk).
Fold the melted chocolate mixture into the eggs, then sift in the flour and a pinch of salt. Fold gently until just combined — don’t overmix.
3. **Assemble**
Spoon half the batter into the moulds. Place a small ball of salted caramel (about a teaspoon) in the centre of each. Cover with the remaining batter.
Chill the filled moulds for at least 30 minutes (or up to 4 hours). This helps them rise evenly and keep the molten centre.
4. **Bake**
Heat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F (fan 180 °C / 350 °F).
Place the moulds on a baking tray and bake for 11–13 minutes. The tops should be set and slightly cracked, but the centres will still be soft. Don’t overbake — better slightly under than over.
5. **Serve**
Leave to sit for 1 minute, then run a thin knife around the edge and invert onto warm plates.
Add a spoonful of cold crème fraîche beside each fondant, a few flakes of sea salt on top, and raspberries if you like.
#### Tips from the kitchen
- The caramel centre stays molten if you don’t overbake.
- You can freeze the filled moulds and bake straight from frozen (add 2–3 extra minutes).
- Use the best chocolate you can — it makes a real difference here.
This is the kind of dessert that feels special and restaurant-level but is actually straightforward once you’ve done it once. The contrast of warm molten chocolate, soft salted caramel, and cold cream is hard to beat.
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