Fondant

Fondant (French fondant — “melting”) is a term that in confectionery has two main meanings. The best known today is the chocolate fondant (fondant au chocolat), the famous hot dessert-cake with a molten, “flowing” chocolate centre.

The magic of the chocolate fondant lies in the contrast: on the outside it is a fully baked tender chocolate cake, while inside hides a hot, molten chocolate centre that temptingly flows out the moment the dessert is cut. This effect is achieved by precise baking time: the batter is baked for a very short time at a high temperature, so the edges set while the centre stays semi-liquid. Fondant is served hot, often with a scoop of ice cream or berries. The second meaning of the term is sugar fondant: a pliable, smooth mass of cooked sugar syrup worked to a creamy opaque consistency. It is used as a glaze for pastries and éclairs (shiny fondant glaze), as a filling for sweets, and rolled-out fondant icing for smoothly covering and modelling cake decorations. Both meanings share the idea of a tender, melt-in-the-mouth sweetness. Fondant is both a striking restaurant dessert and a basic confectionery tool.