This chocolate fondant cake with whiskey praline is just like a chocolate lava cake and has a gooey, molten center. Intensely rich and decadent, these individual chocolate cakes get filled with a nutty whiskey praline filling for an extra pop of flavor and texture.
Perfect for an elegant dinner party or a special occasion, these individual molten chocolate cakes are surprisingly simple to make and will have everyone swooning over the ultra-chocolatey flavor and soft, gooey texture.
Paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream and you have the ultimate dessert experience!
The chocolate fondant cake tastes similar to my chocolate walnut cake in a simpler, easier-to-eat manner. And, if you'd prefer intense chocolate in a cold variety, you have to try some chocolate pots de creme.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
Perfectly gooey centers - The balance between the soft, cakey edges and the rich, molten center makes these chocolate fondants spoon-licking good.
Whiskey praline filling - A buttery, nutty caramel mixed with whiskey and sea salt adds incredible depth of flavor and a slight crunch to contrast the smooth, soft chocolate.
Elegant yet simple - This recipe is easy to make but looks and tastes like something you'd get at a restaurant.
Great for entertaining - These individual chocolate cakes are baked in ramekins, making them perfect for dinner parties or date nights. Instructions for a 2-person serving are below!
Ingredients
- Semi-sweet chocolate. Use a chocolate bar and chop it yourself (rather than chocolate chips). The bar should be 60-70% cacao for best results and flavor.
- Sugars. Granulated sugar for the cake, and brown sugar for the praline.
- Eggs. Large eggs are what help to produce the rise in the cake (since there are no leaveners added).
- Heavy whipping cream. This combines with the sugar and butter to create the praline. Be sure to use heavy not standard or light cream.
- Unsalted butter. This controls the amount of salt going in - if you use salted butter, just reduce the amount of salt in each portion of the recipe.
- Irish whiskey. This gets mixed into the praline sauce for an extra pop of flavor. You can omit it completely without any changes.
- Nuts. I used hazelnuts, but walnuts, almonds, pecans, macadamia nuts or any of your favorites are great!
See recipe card for full ingredients list and quantities.
Substitutions and Variations
- Praline: add whatever nuts you want, or omit them completely. You can also totally forgo the praline and just have the chocolate fondant as is!
- Chocolate orange: Add ½ teaspoon orange extract to the batter.
- Mocha – Stir 2 teaspoons of espresso powder into the chocolate mixture for a hint of coffee flavor.
- Nutella: Skip the whiskey praline and pipe Nutella into the center instead.
- Peanut Butter: Mix ¼ cup of peanut butter into the praline OR just fill the centers with peanut butter instead.
- Alcohol: Swap Irish whiskey for bourbon or dark rum for a slightly different but equally delicious praline. Or, omit it completely!
How to Make This Recipe
One: For the praline, heat the butter, sugar, and cream until bubbling, then mix in the whiskey, nuts, and salt.
Two: Heat the butter and chopped chocolate and stir until smooth and metled.
Three: Whisk together the flour, sugar, and eggs.
Four: Mix in the melted chocolate mixture until smooth.
Five: Grease the ramekins, then evenly divide the batter between them.
Six: Bake until puffy but the centers still look gooey.
Seven: Fill the center of each fondant with the praline via piping bag or a spoon.
Eight: Top with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy warm!
Chocolate Fondant for Two
Want to make this for date night? Here are the ingredient amounts for just two ramekins! Follow all of the same instructions in the recipe write-up but adjust to these amounts for two 6-8oz ramekins.
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (57g)
- 2oz semi-sweet chocolate (53g)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar (67g)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (30g)
- 1 large egg
- Pinch salt
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Expert Tips
- Use a good quality chocolate bar - not chocolate chips - to ensure even melting, baking, and an overall enhanced flavor!
- Use a ladle for easy transfer from the mixing bowl to the ramekins.
- For an extra gooey center, stick to the lower end of the baking time. If you prefer a less molten center, bake for an additional 3-5 minutes.
- Transfer the praline to a piping bag to easily add the praline to the center of each cake. If you don't have one, just spoon it in (the ice cream will cover it up).
- Toast the nuts before chopping them for maximum praline flavor.
Recipe FAQs
The edges should be puffed up and set, but the center should still look slightly underbaked and molten. Stick to the lower end of the baking time for a gooey center or add 3-5 extra minutes for a firmer, cake-like texture.
Yes! You can prepare the batter and store it in the ramekins in the fridge for up to 24 hours. When ready to bake, place them directly in the oven, adding 1-2 extra minutes to the baking time.
You can bake these in a muffin tin or jumbo muffin tin, but you’ll need to grease and flour the tins well. The baking time will be slightly shorter for a standard tin, so start checking around 8 minutes.
Storage
Store the chocolate fondant tightly covered at room temperature for 24 hours, then transfer to the fridge for an additional 3 days.
Reheat for 20-30 seconds in the microwave. Note that reheating can cause the gooey centers to bake up with every second of increased time.
To freeze, bake the fondants, let them cool, then wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat in a 350°F oven for 8-10 minutes or microwave for 30-45 seconds.
What to Know When Cooking with The Cozy Plum
- All recipes are created with Diamond Crystal kosher salt, the least salty variety of kosher salt. If using Morton's, you'll need to cut the amount of salt in half as it's 2x as salty. This will be the same for sea salt. Please do not use table salt.
- Switch between Cups vs Metric using the toggle on the recipe card. Baking by weight using a digital scale will always produce the most accurate results.
- Scale the recipe using the '1X' '2X' '3X' buttons on the recipe card. Note that this does not make an adjustment for baking times, only quantities.
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📖Recipe
Chocolate Fondant Cakes with Whiskey Praline
Equipment
- 6 ramekins 6-8oz capacity
- Whisk
- Piping bag optional
Ingredients
Whiskey Praline
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar packed
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 shot Irish whiskey
- ½ cup finely chopped nuts pecans, walnuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc.
- 2 teaspoons flaky salt or ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt
Chocolate Cakes
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
- 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate 60-70% cacao, roughly chopped
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 large eggs room temperature
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Whiskey Praline
- Add the butter, sugar, and heavy cream to a saucepan on medium heat and mix while it melts until combined.½ cup unsalted butter, ½ cup light or dark brown sugar, ½ cup heavy whipping cream
- Increase to medium high heat and bring it to a boil while stirring, then reduce to medium low or low and let it simmer for about 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the whiskey, nuts, and flaky salt and set aside.1 shot Irish whiskey, ½ cup finely chopped nuts, 2 teaspoons flaky salt
Chocolate Cakes
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Generously grease six, 6-8oz ramekins and place them on a sheet pan. You can do this with the butter or use cooking spray.1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Add the butter and chocolate to a microwave-safe bowl and microwave in 30 second bursts until melted. Stirring in between each burst until smooth.1 ¼ cup unsalted butter, 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and flour to remove flour lumps, then whisk in the eggs and salt.1 cup granulated sugar, ⅓ cup all-purpose flour, 4 large eggs, ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Whisk in the chocolate mixture until everything is well combined.
- Pour the batter evenly between all of the ramekins, then bake for 13-16 minutes for a 6oz ramekin or 10-13 minutes for an 8oz ramekin.
- When the fondants are done, they will puff up slightly around the edges and still look slightly underdone, gooey, and moulton in the centers. Remove from the oven.
Adding the Praline
- Transfer the praline to a zip top bag or piping bag and cut off the tip (make it a decently wide opening so the nuts don’t get into a traffic jam). Press it into the center of each cake and add a generous squeeze.
- Or, use butter knife to make a bit of an opening in the top and spoon in the praline.
- Serve hot or warm (and be sure guests know the ramekins are hot!).
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