Vegan Chocolate Fondant (Lava Cake)
These Vegan Chocolate Fondants have a melt in the middle chocolate centre that oozes on to the plate. Find out how to make them below!
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Restaurant quality desserts made at home
Chocolate Fondants (also known as ‘Chocolate Lava Cakes’ or ‘Molten Chocolate Cakes’) are a classic dessert served on restaurant menus everywhere. They have a reputation to be hard to make because the liquid chocolate centre is rather magical.
But, follow my top tips below and you will have no trouble recreating this restaurant quality dessert at home. And best of all, it’s egg and dairy free!
How to make vegan chocolate lava cakes (or chocolate fondants)
Traditionally molten chocolate cakes such as these are made with just five ingredients: butter, eggs, sugar, chocolate and flour. None of these ingredients are surprising to anyone familiar with baking a chocolate cake.
Of course the butter and eggs are a problem for anyone following a plant based diet and so they need substituting for this vegan chocolate fondant recipe.
The butter I substitute with a non-dairy spread. Flora is my favourite but I’ve tried other brands and they all work well. The egg in this recipe is there to bind the ingredients together so I use a small banana mashed well.
Good quality dark chocolate is almost always vegan but do double check to be on the safe side.
Once you’ve made these substitutions the method is almost identical to the traditional chocolate lava cake recipe. Isn’t it amazing how easy it is to make vegan desserts at home these days?! We don’t have to miss out at all!
If you’re interested in learning more about egg-free and dairy-free baking then check out my big vegan baking guide.
Top tips for baking perfect vegan chocolate fondants (also known as chocolate lava cakes)
- Use the best quality dark chocolate, maple syrup and vanilla paste you can find! There are so few ingredients in this recipe that you want them all to shine. I use a dark chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa solids. I also use an organic maple syrup and quality vanilla paste (though you can use vanilla extra or essence at a push).
- Use soy milk (unless of course you have an allergy / intolerance). I find that soy milk is richer than other plant milks making it perfect for such a decadent dessert as this.
- To make sure the fondants come out of their moulds perfectly, brush the tins or ramekins liberally with oil and then dust with a generous coating of cocoa powder. They will then simply slip out when you’re ready to serve.
- Some might consider it “cheating” but to make sure you get a molten middle every time I always freeze a spoonful of the cake mixture and add it to the rest of the batter before baking. I’ve included this method in the recipe card below so you can be sure to have perfect melting middles too.
Follow these tips closely and you will have perfect plant based chocolate lava cakes every time!
The recipe
Vegan Chocolate Fondant (Lava Cakes)
Equipment
- 4 ramekins, pudding tins or muffin tins (see notes)
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 60 g non-dairy butter
- 60 g caster sugar
- 1 banana
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or golden syrup, agave nectar etc.
- 30 g dark chocolate
- 60 ml plant based milk e.g. soya milk
- 60 grams self raising flour
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder plus extra for dusting
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla paste
Instructions
- Prepare your ramekins or tins by brushing them with a flavourless vegetable oil then dusting with cocoa powder.
- Cream together the non-dairy butter and caster sugar until pale and creamy. Add in the mashed banana and maple syrup and beat well.
- Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave or over a bain marie. Pour into the wet cake ingredients along with the plant milk and stir until well combined.
- Place 4 tsp of the mixture on to a small plate and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until they are just starting to firm up.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180C / 356F / gas mark 4.
- Next fold in the flour, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla paste to the remaining cake mixture.
- Half fill each of the ramekins / tins with the cake mix.
- Place the almost frozen cake mix into the centre of each ramekin / tin.
- Cover over with the remaining cake mix.
- Put the ramekins / tins in the oven and bake for 12 – 15 minutes or until the tops look set but when the pan is shaken gently they have a slight wobble to them.
- Remove them from the oven and give them a minute or two to cool slightly. Run a spatula round the edge of the pan and turn them out on to the plate.
- Serve with your choice of plant based ice cream or pouring cream and fresh fruit.
Nutrition
Plant based puddings
Why not check out some of the other plant based puddings on the blog.