Who doesn’t love a chocolate fondant cake? Fondant means ‘melted’ in French and to be perfect it needs to be still gooey in the centre. The salt and the thyme make for a very nice contrast to the rich chocolate and bring a touch of Provence to this popular dessert.

(Editor’s note: Maldon salt or other flaky sea salt can be used if you do not have fleur de sel.)

Method:

• If you can, infuse the whipped cream the day before, or leave it at least for a few hours. Place the whipping cream in a bowl and add the thyme sprigs. Cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and keep in the refrigerator.
• Just before serving, strain the cream into a mixing bowl to remove the thyme and add the mascarpone and icing sugar. Using an electric whisk, whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to overwhip it or it will turn into butter. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
• Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (400°F) and line a 20 cm (8 in) round cake tin (pan) with parchment paper.
• In a saucepan over a very low heat, melt the chocolate and butter.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, cornflour and sugar. Add in the chocolate mixture and mix until homogeneous. Add the fleur de sel and stir gently.
• Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 30 minutes.
• Let the cake cool for 20 minutes before transferring it to a serving plate. Serve with a dollop of cold whipped cream and decorated with the leaves of the last sprig of thyme.

Recipe extracted from At Home in Provence (Quadrille)