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There are few puddings more satisfying than a melt-in-the-middle chocolate pudding. Crack through the delicate sponge and out flows a river of molten chocolate – rich, glossy, and just the right side of indulgent. Sometimes called molten chocolate cake or chocolate fondant, this is one of those desserts that feels restaurant-worthy yet is surprisingly simple once you know the timings.
Mastering these melt-in-the-middle chocolate puddings is so simple that you’ll wish you’d given it a go earlier. No longer just a treat after a fancy dinner, if you serve these at a party, people will LOVE them!
The magic of these puddings is that you can make them the day ahead, and just pop them in the fridge. When you are ready for them, put them in the oven straight from the fridge and just add another 2 minutes to the cooking time. Perfect for dinner parties.
This recipe has been tested to perfection with exact bake times, clever make-ahead tips, and troubleshooting advice so you’ll never overbake again.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
- A hot oven quickly sets the outer layer while leaving the centre warm and gooey.
- It uses just 7 ingredients which you are likely to already have at home.
- It looks impressive, but is actually very hard to go wrong. A dream dinner party dessert.
- You can make ahead of time and store in the fridge until ready to bake.
Ingredients
Full recipe can be found in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post, just scroll down!
Dark chocolate – Opt for the best quality you can find, ideally 70%, for the best results.
Light soft brown sugar – I like that the brown sugar gives these melt-in-the-middle chocolate puddings a caramel-like flavour. Use soft, not demerara.
Instant coffee powder – this just makes the chocolate flavour stronger; it doesn’t make these puddings taste like coffee.
Plain flour – also known as all-purpose flour.
Substitutions and Variations:
Brown sugar: you can swap for caster sugar if that is what you have.
Dairy-free: use plant-based butter like the Flora blocks.
Serving: I like sour cream, creme fraiche or double cream here, but you can use whatever you like. Serving with a sprinkling of berries cuts through the rich dark chocolate. I like raspberries.
Flavour twists:
- Salted caramel centre: Fill the pudding basins halfway, add 1 tsp caramel sauce, then cover with more batter for a salted caramel twist.
- Peanut butter twist: Drop a teaspoon of peanut butter into each pudding before baking, as above for salted caramel.
- Orange & chocolate: Stir in orange zest and serve with orange segments.
Here’s how to make melt in the middle chocolate puddings:
Here’s a step by step guide for what you need to do, but you can find the full recipe below for detailed instructions.
ONE: Preheat the oven to 200C. Grease 4 pudding basins. Pop a circle of greaseproof paper in the bottom to ensure they don’t stick.
TWO: Melt the butter and chocolate together. Once melted, add the eggs.
THREE: Add the sugar and mix together.
FOUR: Melt the butter and chocolate together. Once melted, add the eggs.Stir in the flour, coffee, vanilla, and salt.
FIVE: Pour into the basins and cook for 10-15 minutes. Important: all ovens vary so it is VERY important to check them at 10 mins and then every minute thereafter until you think they are done. They are done when the sides are ever so slightly coming away from the sides, but you can still see that it isn’t set in the middle.
SIX: Leave to stand for 1-2 mins when out the oven then run a palette knife around the edge of the pudding mould. Then place a small plate on top of the pudding, then flip it upside down to invert the pudding (use a tea towel as it will be hot!)
Cooking Tips
Troubleshooting guide
- Centre not molten: Reduce the baking time by 1-2 minutes and just keep a close eye on it. They are still delicious even if not runny in the centre, but I know that’s not quite what we are going for!
- Stuck puddings: Don’t skip the little circle of greaseproof paper on the base of the pudding ramekin. It really does help. Also, you can run a thin knife around the edge before tipping out.
- Dry sponge: Overbaking – try 2 minutes less next time.
To reheat: Cook from chilled as the recipe states but add on an extra 2 minutes. If cooking from frozen, they will probably need an extra 8-10 minutes in the oven, on top of the 10-15 minutes as above. Err on the side of underbaked than over.
To freeze: These freeze really well too and you can cook them from frozen – see above. Wrap up the individual pudding moulds in plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months.
Pudding basins vs ramekins: you can use either a pudding basin or a ramekin for a melt-in-the-middle chocolate pudding. I like these pudding basins. Ramekins are smaller (typically) so you will maybe end up with more than 4 (but as mentioned, they freeze well!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Store in the fridge for up 2 days, covered, unbaked. Then bake when ready, adding on 2 mins to cooking time.
Ovens vary! Try an oven thermometer to ensure your heat is correct and go off visual cues too. You want it just pulled away from the edges, slightly set but still with a wobble.
A slight sinking is normal, so don’t worry too much. If it sinks completely, you maybe underbaked it. If they are completely underbaked, just serve in the pudding basin with a spoon, like a little dessert pot. Delicious.
Grease well with butter and then always add a little round of parchment paper to the base of the pudding basin, so it slides out when you invert it.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
If you like this melt in the middle chocolate pudding, try my Classic French Chocolate Mousse or my Self Saucing Chocolate Pudding. I also have the most delicious Giant Melt in the Middle Chocolate Cake or a Chocolate Fudge Cake.
Easy Baking Recipes
Chocolate Chunk Muffins
Easy Baking Recipes
The Best Cheesecake Brownies
Easy Baking Recipes
Matilda’s Chocolate Cake
Easy Baking Recipes
Dark Chocolate and White Chocolate Brownies
If you tried this Melt in the Middle Chocolate Pudding or any other recipe on the site, please do leave a comment and let us know how it went!
Melt In The Middle Chocolate Pudding
Ingredients
- 150 g dark chocolate
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 150 g light soft brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 55 g plain flour
- 3/4 tsp instant coffee powder
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180c fan.
- Grease 4 pudding basins. Pop a circle of greaseproof paper in the bottom to ensure they don't stick.
- Melt the butter and chocolate together. I prefer doing this in the microwave but a bain marie is also good – more faff, but still good.
- Once melted, add the eggs and sugar and stir together.
- Stir in the flour, coffee, vanilla, and salt.
- Pour into the basins and cook for 10-15 minutes. Important: all ovens vary so it is VERY important to check them at 10 mins and then every minute thereafter until you think they are done. They are done when the sides are ever so slightly coming away from the sides but you can still see that it isn't set in the middle.
- Leave to stand for 1-2 mins when out the oven then run a palette knife around the edge of the pudding mould. Then place a small plate on top of the pudding, then flip it upside down to invert the pudding (use a tea towel as it will be hot!)
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream / creme fraiche / double cream. Or all of the above. These are also gorgeous with a handful of raspberries to cut through the richness of the chocolate.
- The video below will help with this recipe.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love this recipe, so quick and easy but most importantly comes out absolutely perfectly!
SO GOOD! Perfect for something extra for Christmas