Chocolate fondue

Chocolate fondue is having a nostalgic renaissance – here’s why

Think of fondue and your mind probably goes straight to the classic cheese fondue, but have you ever tried a melted chocolate dip instead? It’s as glorious as it sounds – silky smooth chocolate with a range of delicious sweet treats for dipping … It’s the perfect finale for every occasion from Valentine’s Day, or Galentine’s Day, special dinner parties and even a teen’s birthday party. 

Homemade sweets, nostalgic treats and the prettiest of sugary delights, this collection of easy sweets and confectionery recipes is ideal for morning teas, baby showers, wrapping as gifts or indulging the ones you love.

What is fondue?

The cheese fondue was invented in Switzerland in the 18th century as a way for farmers to stretch out the end pieces of cheese and use up stale bread. It was traditionally served warm in a communal pot with everyone dipping food into the cheese with metal skewers. The dish it’s served in is a fondue pot that has a heating element underneath to keep the cheese nice and melty. 

Over the years the basic types of fondue have grown to include an oil fondue and a broth fondue, but it’s with the dessert fondue that it gets interesting. Said to have originated in New York sometime between the 1950s and 1960s, the chocolate sauce dip uses the same equipment – the fondue pot and metal skewers – but showcases different types of chocolate, cream and sometimes alcohol.  

The best chocolate for fondue

There’s an easy answer to which chocolate to use in this recipe, although we recommend you use the best quality chocolate you can afford. This is meant to be a decadent dessert and, as it only contains a couple of ingredients, it’s best to make sure those ingredients taste great. We used dark chocolate in this recipe because its slightly bitter taste helps offset the sweetness of the chocolate and whatever you’re dipping in the pot. You can, however, use milk chocolate or even white chocolate, if you prefer. You could also try using a ratio of half milk chocolate and half chocolate bars like Mars Bars or Peppermint Crisps when creating your dipping chocolate for strawberries, pretzels and more. 

Hints and tips for how to make chocolate fondue

If you have a fondue pot with a burner underneath it, there’s not much to this recipe – warm the cream, then add the chocolate. The low heat will slowly combine the ingredients and the cream will give the chocolate a silky smooth texture. Then all you have to do is decide on the best chocolate fondue dippers. 

If you don’t have a fondue pot, use a heavy-based saucepan instead to warm the cream over medium heat. A fondue is meant to be cooked over a gentle heat and adding the chocolate to the cold cream on the stovetop may cause the mixture to seize. Wait until the cream is simmering, then remove the pan and add the chocolate, but don’t stir yet. Let the chocolate sit in the hot cream for a couple of minutes and then stir. 

To make it even easier, you can melt the fondue chocolate in the microwave, too. Make sure you stir the chocolate after every 30 seconds of cooking to stop it from burning. This microwave fondue recipe uses oil instead of cream to give the chocolate a smooth finish. 

Personalise your dessert: More chocolate fondue ideas

We’ve kept our recipe deliberately basic so it’s quick and easy to make but you could also personalise your fondue by layering in more intricate flavours. Some suggested favourites are chilli, cinnamon, orange zest, ground coffee or peppermint extract. You want the extra flavour to be subtle though, so we suggest adding a pinch of your preferred flavour to start with and tasting before adding more.  

If this is an adults-only fondue, you can also add a tablespoon or so of alcohol – think brandy, kirsch, Tia Maria or even Baileys. Add it to the cream at the beginning of the recipe. 

What to dip in chocolate fondue

There’s almost no end to what dippers you can add to a chocolate fondue platter. Of course, strawberries are the classic but any fruit tastes great – look to whatever is in season – think figs, mandarins, grapes, peaches and oranges. Other fun dippers include marshmallows, wafers, macadamia nuts and dried apricots. For something OTT (and let’s be honest, that’s what we’re going for), cut chocolate brownies into fingers and dunk them in your dipping chocolate, too.