Chocolate fondant soufflé

Method

1. Place six 125ml ovenproof moulds or cups in the refrigerator to cool and preheat the oven to 200C/gas 6.

2. Put the cocoa, chocolate and 90g of the butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure the bowl does not touch the water.

3. While the chocolate is melting, whisk the egg yolks and sugar together in a large bowl. Have a clean bowl and a whisk ready to whisk the egg whites.

4. Stir the melted chocolate into the yolk mixture and set aside in a warm place.

5. Remove the moulds from the refrigerator. Melt the remaining butter in a small pan over a low heat or in a bowl in the microwave. Use a pastry brush to butter the insides of the moulds, then dust with cocoa powder, tapping out any excess onto a sheet of baking paper.

6. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted from the bowl - you should be able to turn the bowl upside down without the egg whites falling out. Whisk a spoonful of the whites into the chocolate mixture and then very gently fold in the rest.

7. Spoon the chocolate mixture into a large piping bag (or a strong plastic sandwich bag with one corner snipped off). Carefully fill the moulds with the mixture. Level the tops with the back of a knife, taking care not to rub any butter from the rims.

8. Place the soufflés on a baking tray and bake until risen (about 10 minutes). Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately, with scoops of vanilla ice cream, if you like.