Warm, gooey, and unmistakably indulgent — that’s exactly what you get with this choc fondant pot pudding recipe. Made even better with Gideon Milling’s stone‑ground cake wheat flour, this dessert is a straightforward yet deeply satisfying treat.
The process is delightfully simple. You’ll mix a few pantry staples — egg, butter, milk, sugar, cocoa powder, and stone‑ground flour — until smooth. Then come the magical bits: broken dark chocolate pieces nestled into the batter and a rich, velvety sauce poured over the top before baking. When it emerges from the oven, the top is set, but cut into it and you’ll find molten chocolate waiting to escape.
Stone‑ground flour adds a subtle nutty flavour and a tender crumb that refines this classic dessert. Baking it in a potjie—like our version does—also adds a gorgeous, rustic touch and gives the pudding a uniquely South African flair. While it bakes for about 25 minutes, you can plate up sides like vanilla ice cream or fresh cream to complement the warm, melting centre.
This pudding is perfect for a cozy night in or a casual dinner party — elegant enough to impress, yet simple enough to whip up in minutes. To explore the broader world of chocolate fondant timing and techniques, the BBC Good Food guide to chocolate fondant offers helpful context on achieving the perfect molten centre.
Serve immediately while it’s still bubbling, and watch everyone fall in love with the mix of warm chocolate and soft, cake-like texture.
Ingredients
Batter
- 1 egg
- 75 ml butter (melted)
- 1/2 cup milk
- 12.5 ml vanilla essence
- 1 cup Gideon Milling Cake Wheat Flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 25 ml cocoa powder
- pinch of salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 small slabs dark chocolate (80 g each, broken into blocks)
Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 50 ml cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
To serve
- Fresh cream or ice cream
Method
Cakes
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Make the batter, part 1: In your no.10 flat-bottomed baking potjie, whisk the egg and then use your wooden spoon and mix the butter, milk and vanilla with the whisked egg.
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Make the batter, part 2: Now mix the flour, cocoa, salt, sugar and chopped chocolate pieces into the wet mixture of step 1. Just use the sugar and cocoa specified as ingredients for the batter, not the sugar and cocoa for the sauce, which only comes in the next step. Everything needs to be mixed properly so use a wooden spoon and put in some effort.
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Make the sauce: Stir the sugar, cocoa powder and boiling water together until all the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Slowly pour this hot cocoa-sugar-water mixture over the dough mixture that is already in the pot.
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Bake: Put the lid on the potjie and bake for 25 minutes by placing coals under the pot and a lot of coals on the lid of the pot. Your work of art is ready when the top is firm to the touch.
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Serve with fresh cream or ice cream.
Image and recipe (adapted) by Jan Braai.
