Prep: 20 minutes, plus chilling Cook: 15 minutes ❄: Can be frozen before baking

To coat the ramekins:

Brush 8 ramekins with melted butter, making upward strokes. Place the ramekins on a baking tray in the freezer
for 10 minutes.

Take the ramekins out again and brush them once more with melted butter, and put them back in the freezer for 10 minutes. Take them out and dust the insides with cocoa powder, making sure to tap out any excess.

To make the fondants:

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, being careful not to allow the bowl to touch the water.

Roughly chop the butter and add to the chocolate, stirring until it melts in.

Whisk the sugar and eggs until they are light and fluffy and doubled in size. This will take about 5 minutes in a standing mixer, or 5–10 minutes with an electric hand-held whisk.

Add the butter and chocolate mixture, and mix everything together.

Now add the flour and star anise, and fold in using a large metal spoon.

Put the ramekins on a baking tray.

Divide the mixture between the ramekins, leaving a 1cm gap at the top of each.

Cook for 10–12 minutes; no longer. The fondants will start to come away from the sides of the ramekins.

Take the fondants out of the oven, and leave in the ramekins for 1 minute only. They will still be hot, but they need to be turned out straight away and served, otherwise the residual heat will cook them right through.

You can freeze the fondants before baking, ready for another occasion. If you are cooking from frozen, cook at 200°C/fan 180°C for 17 minutes.

Taken from Nadiya’s Kitchen

Serves 8

For the coating

50g unsalted butter,melted

cocoa powder, for dusting

For the fondants

200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), melted

200g unsalted butter, melted

200g caster sugar

4 whole medium egg yolks, plus 4 egg yolks

200g plain flour, sifted

4 teaspoons star anise, ground in a pestle and mortar and passed through a small, fine sieve