Chocolate fondant cake with Grand Marnier poached oranges

Name: Chocolate fondant cake with Grand Marnier poached oranges
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 150g butter, chopped; 150g dark chocolate, chopped coarsely; 3 egg yolks; 3 whole eggs; 75g castor sugar; 100g plain flour, sifted; 2 tsp cocoa powder

Neil Perry

Updated February 22, 2023, first published July 11, 2016

Chocolate fondant cake with Grand Marnier poached oranges.William Meppem

Time:30 mins - 1 hourServes:6

Here's an ultra rich and gooey dessert perfect for winter. With fondants, timing is important, so they need to be served shortly after cooking. The whole point is a soft, runny, warm centre! You will need to refrigerate the mixture before baking.

Ingredients

150g butter, chopped
150g dark chocolate, chopped coarsely
3 egg yolks
3 whole eggs
75g castor sugar
100g plain flour, sifted
2 tsp cocoa powder

For the oranges

2 oranges
3½ tbsp castor sugar
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp Grand Marnier

Method

Step 1
Grease a six-cup Texas muffin pan. Line bases of the pan's cups with baking paper.
Step 2
Melt butter and chocolate together in a saucepan over a low-medium heat, stirring until smooth and well-combined. Transfer to a large bowl.
Step 3
Beat egg yolks, eggs and sugar in a small bowl with an electric mixer until thick and creamy.
Step 4
Fold egg mixture and flour into chocolate mixture. Spoon mixture into pan cups and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.
Step 5
Peel oranges and slice into 1cm pieces. Bring ¼ cup water, sugar and lemon juice to a boil. Simmer for 5 minutes, then add Grand Marnier. Remove from heat, immediately add orange slices and leave to cool.
Step 6
Preheat oven to 180°C.
Step 7
Place the muffin pan filled with fondant mixture on an oven tray. Bake for 14 minutes. Stand fondants for 3 minutes and then use a small spatula to lever them out of the pan and onto plates.
Step 8
Dust cocoa powder on top and serve immediately with oranges and a little of the poaching liquid.