SALTED CARAMEL FONDANT PUDDINGS

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One of my ultimate guilty pleasures is a good fondant pudding: the sight of that gorgeous filling oozing out is one to behold and very satisfying indeed when you get it right! These salted caramel puddings work a charm and make you feel pretty proud – the caramel is made from scratch so you can make it as salty (or not) as you like. Keep any leftover caramel sauce and serve over ice cream, with pancakes or as a dip for fruit skewers. This is a special dessert for a special occasion for two, but you could easily double it up to serve four.

READY IN 40 MINUTES

SERVES 2

FOR THE CARAMEL SAUCE

125g caster sugar

70ml double cream

25g unsalted butter

Maldon sea salt, to taste

FOR THE PUDDINGS

62g unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing

62g soft light brown sugar

1 large egg

50g self-raising flour

12g cocoa powder

TO SERVE

vanilla ice cream or cream

1. To make the caramel sauce, tip the sugar into a heavy-based saucepan, stir in 2 tablespoons of water, then place over a medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bubble for 45 minutes until you have a caramel. Remove from the heat, then carefully stir in the cream and butter; it may splutter so be careful. Carefully pour the sauce into a bowl, allow to cool, then cover and chill in the fridge to set.

2. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/350°F/Gas mark 4 and thoroughly butter two 180ml pudding moulds. Put a small circle of baking parchment in the bottom of each one and put them in the fridge while you make the cake mix.

3. Whisk together the butter and sugar in a bowl until fluffy, then whisk in the egg and gently fold in the flour and cocoa. Take the moulds out of the fridge and give them another thin coating of butter.

4. Fill the moulds two-thirds full with the cake mixture. Make a dip in the centre and carefully spoon 1 teaspoon of the set caramel into each and sprinkle with a few flakes of Maldon salt. Gently top up the moulds with the remaining mixture, taking care not to squidge the caramel sauce out.

5. Put the moulds on a baking tray and bake for 20–23 minutes until they are starting to come away from the edge of the mould. Leave to stand for 1 minute then turn the puddings out on to serving plates. Peel off the parchment and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and an extra drizzle of caramel sauce, which can be reheated either in a saucepan or microwave.

image VIRGIN TIP

When topping up the moulds with cake mixture, try starting at the edges. If you dollop on top of the caramel centre it’s likely to squidge out to the sides. It will still be delicious but you might not get an oozy centre.