Even though my family hardly drinks alcohol, we’ve come to agree that many desserts benefit from a little kick. Chocolate fondant is no exception. Also known as lava cake, or moelleux au chocolat in French, these taste even better with some rum. At home, this usually means Jamaican rum because it goes really well with chocolate. The runny centre makes these little fondants the perfect solution for those who can’t decide between pudding and cake.

Ingredients

Makes 6 chocolate fondants

• 190g dark chocolate, chopped¹
• 40g butter, softened
• 80g caster sugar
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 100g plain flour
• 3 tbsp dark rum²
• 4 tbsp milk

• Butter for greasing
• Baking paper

¹ I used chocolate with 66% cocoa content
² Feel free to substitute with a different liqueur

Method

Preheat oven to 190°C. Prepare six 4oz/120ml ramekins. If you want to turn out the fondants onto plates after baking, grease the ramekins with butter. Cut out six circles of baking paper to fit the bottom of the ramekins.

Melt the dark chocolate over a brain-marie, or in short bursts in the microwave oven. Stir well to ensure the chocolate melts evenly and doesn’t burn. Set aside.

With your mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs a little at a time, and beat until fully incorporated. Now add the milk, vanilla extract and sugar, then blend well. Sift the flour into the batter and fold until combined. Gently mix in the molten chocolate and rum.

Divide the batter among the ramekins. Place them in the oven and bake for 9 to 12 minutes until the tops are firm. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Turn out onto plates or serve directly in the ramekins. Enjoy!

Note: You can keep unbaked batter in the fridge for a few days. Add another 3 minutes or so to the cooking time if you’re baking cold batter.