Chocolate Fondant Cakes with Whiskey Praline
This chocolate fondant cake with whiskey praline is reminiscent of a classic chocolate lava cake, with a silky, molten center. Incredibly rich and indulgent, these individual chocolate cakes are filled with a nutty whiskey praline and get topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 1096kcal
Equipment
- 6 ramekins 6-8oz capacity
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- 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!).
Video
Notes
To serve: Top off each cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream before diving in (it truly needs this for balance!).
If you want to turn out the cake, generously grease the ramekins, then coat them completely with cocoa powder (dump out any excess).
After they come out of the oven, use oven mitts to remove a ramekin, put a plate on top of the opening, then flip the entire thing over. Let it sit for about a minute, then lift it straight off. I don’t recommend doing this if you add the praline filling, as it typically causes the cake to collapse.
If you prefer them less gooey and more set, add up to 5 more minutes of bake time.
Nutrition
Calories: 1096kcal | Carbohydrates: 76g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 84g | Saturated Fat: 48g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 25g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 298mg | Sodium: 264mg | Potassium: 348mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 63g | Vitamin A: 2228IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 92mg | Iron: 3mg
