FONDANT REVIEWS RECIPES

Steps:

• First get your moulds ready. Using upward strokes, heavily brush melted butter (use 50g in total) all over the inside of the pudding mould. Place the mould in the fridge or freezer. Brush more melted butter over the chilled butter, then add a good spoonful of cocoa powder into the mould. Tip the mould so the powder completely coats the butter. Tap any excess cocoa back into the jar, then repeat with the next mould.
• Place a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water, then slowly melt 200g good-quality dark chocolate and 200g butter, both chopped into small pieces, together. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir until smooth. Leave to cool for about 10 mins.
• In a separate bowl whisk 4 eggs and 4 egg yolks together with 200g golden caster sugar until thick and pale and the whisk leaves a trail; use an electric whisk if you want. Sift 200g plain flour into the eggs, then beat together.
• Pour the melted chocolate into the egg mixture in thirds, beating well between each addition, until all the chocolate is added and the mixture is completely combined to a loose cake batter.
• Tip the fondant batter into a jug, then evenly divide between the moulds. The fondants can now be frozen for up to a month and cooked from frozen. Chill for at least 20 mins or up to the night before. To bake from frozen, simply carry on as stated, adding 5 mins more to the cooking time.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Place the fondants on a baking tray, then cook for 10-12 mins until the tops have formed a crust and they are starting to come away from the sides of their moulds. Remove from the oven, then leave to sit for 1 min before turning out.
• Loosen the fondants by moving the tops very gently so they come away from the sides, easing them out of the moulds. Tip each fondant slightly onto your hand so you know it has come away, then tip back into the mould ready to plate up.
• Starting from the middle of each plate, squeeze a spiral of caramel sauce – do all the plates you need before you go on to the next stage.
• Sit a fondant in the middle of each plate. Using a large spoon dipped in hot water, scoop a ‘quenelle’ of ice cream.
• Carefully place the ice cream on top of the fondant, then serve immediately. Repeat with the rest of the fondants.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter and line the bases of two 18-19cm cake tins with baking parchment.
• Beat the butter and sugar with an electric whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Add the lemon zest, vanilla, flour, milk and a pinch of salt and blend until just combined, then evenly divide the mixture between the tins.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 25-30 mins until a skewer inserted into the middle of each cake comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their tins for 10 mins, then turn out onto a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
• To make the buttercream, put the butter in a large bowl and beat with an electric whisk until fluffy. Add the icing sugar 2-3 tbsp at a time until it is all incorporated, adding the vanilla and milk halfway through. Sandwich the cakes together with a little of the buttercream and put on a board. Use the remaining buttercream to cover the sides and top of the cake. Chill for 30 mins.
• To decorate, roll out the white fondant icing on a surface lightly dusted with icing sugar until large enough to cover the top and sides of the cake. Drape the fondant icing over the cake and carefully mould to fit. Trim off any excess, wrap and set aside.
• Roll out the green icing and cut out a semi-circle, using the base of the cake tin as a guide; this will be the snowman’s hat. Brush one side with a little water and stick on the cake. Cut a strip of green icing and make some markings to make it look like the band of a hat, then trim to the correct length and stick on.
• To make the nose, shape a round, flat lump from the orange icing. Mark a smile by gently pressing the rim of a water glass into the fondant. Cut out two circles from the black icing for the eyes, then add a small circle of white icing (from the offcuts) to make the eyes appear to sparkle. To make the scarf, wrap a strip of the blue icing around the base of the cake, then use a knife to add cuts for the fringe. Will keep for up to a week in an airtight container in a cool place.