Self-saucing Chocolate Pudding

The best thing about these puddings is the immediacy, and the chocolate, of course.

Ingredients

⅔ cup (110 grams) dark chocolate, finely chopped
⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon (90 grams) butter, cubed
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup (50 grams) caster sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
2½ tablespoons (25 grams) plain flour
Dutch processed cocoa powder, for coating and finishing
SERVES: 2

Method

Preheat oven to 230°C.
Lightly butter 2 x 200ml-capacity ramekins (see tips below if you don't own ramekins), then dust the inside with a little cocoa powder, shaking it around, and tapping out the excess.
Put the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, then set it over a saucepan filled with a few centimetres of barely simmering water. Do not let the base of the bowl touch the water below. Heat, stirring over medium-low, until melted. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, or, using an electric whisk, whisk the eggs, yolks, sugar, and salt, until pale, thick, and almost doubled in volume, about 5 minutes. Turn the speed to low, then stream in the melted chocolate mixture, slowly, until it is all used up. Sift over the flour and fold it in with a large rubber spatula.
Pour into the prepared ramekins, filling them no more than two-thirds full.
Bake, until domed and just firm to the touch, about 8 to 12 minutes. Let stand for less than a minute, then carefully turn the fondants out and onto a plate, for serving.
Dust with cocoa powder, then serve soon after, hot, with cream.

Notes:

Choosing chocolate: Chocolate is the heart of a fondant, so use the best you can find - one that you wouldn't just bake with, but that you would eat. A good dark kind, about 70 per cent in cocoa solids is best.
Don't own ramekins? Here, ceramic ramekins are used to bake the fondants, but you can use other kinds of vessels too, like a muffin pan or even dariole mould. However, ceramic is ideal, as it insulates the fondants against the high heat, cooking them slowly and in a more controlled manner, which often, results in less error. If the vessel you are using is metal, and shallower, like a muffin pan, your bake time will be slightly shorter, so keep an eye on them, and adjust accordingly.
Make ahead: These can be made ahead of time too and kept in the refrigerator, before being baked from cold. This will also prevent over-cooking, as their cool middles will take a little more time to adjust when confronted with heat.