Knowledge Base › Fran Costigan - Vegan Desserts: Ask Me Anything!

How can I do a "fondant au chocolat" as plant-based? Can you suggest a good cooking/serving strategy?

Vegan Desserts: Ask Me Anything!

Fran Costigan - Vegan Desserts: Ask Me Anything!

Recorded

This event was on September 9, 2025

Get ready to satisfy your sweet tooth, without eggs, dairy or refined white sugar! Join us for a special Ask Me Anything live event with Rouxbe Director of Vegan Pastry, renowned vegan pastry chef Fran Costigan, affectionately known as the “Queen of Vegan Desserts.” Whether you’re a long-time plant-based eater or just dessert-curious, this is your chance to connect directly with Fran and ask her anything about baking without eggs, dairy, or compromise. From decadent chocolate cakes to creamy custards and flaky pastries, Fran will share her expert tips, creative substitutions, and the secrets to making a variety of no-apology vegan treats that wow even the most skeptical sweet lovers. This interactive session invites home bakers, professional chefs, and dessert fans of all stripes to explore the delicious world of vegan confections. Curious about aquafaba? Wondering how to achieve that perfect rise without eggs? Want recommendations for your next show-stopping holiday dessert? Fran’s got you covered. Come ready with questions, and leave inspired to whip up your own plant-based masterpieces. This is more than a Q&A—it’s a celebration of plant based creativity and all things sweet!

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Question

Tiziano Tomasetti

How can I do a "fondant au chocolat" as plant-based? Can you suggest a good cooking/serving strategy?

Answer

I have done that, but I want to say that my chocolate cakes are very, very moist to start with. And I, you know, everybody's taste or everybody's likes and dislikes are different. We are all different. We, we can tell if something's awful, that's for sure. But you know, I, I would have four people over here when I was teaching in person say that chocolate was good, but it was too dark. And four people over here who would say that chocolate was good, but it was too bitter. So that kind of thing. I don't actually love cakes with that kind of gooey center. But what I do, because so many people like them, is I bake a chocolate cake or mini I here. I like prefer small ones. So let's say a muffin size or a cupcake size, I get the cake frozen, I cut out the center. It's easier to cut cakes when they're very cold. And then I take a one of my vegan truffles, uh, ganache, which is an emulsion of heavy cream and chocolate, depending on the percentage of dairy, you know, non-dairy milk and the chocolate. You're going to get either a pouring ganache like this or a truffle. And, um, I put a truffle inside the cake that I have cut. I put the piece that I cut back on and I put it back into the oven until it's warm. And it really works beautifully. It's just the same thing to me as the fondant.

Fran Costigan

Director of Vegan Pastry

FranCostigan.com

Fran Costigan is internationally renowned as the authority on vegan desserts. Trained at the New York Restaurant School and Natural Gourmet Institute, Fran was a chef in both traditional and vegan pastry kitchens before moving into teaching over 20 years ago. A lifelong chocoholic and long time vegan, Fran’s latest book, Vegan Chocolate: Unapologetically Luscious and Decadent Dairy Free Desserts, (Running Press 2013) is for all who madly, deeply love chocolate desserts, whether or not dietary considerations are an issue. Her previous cookbook, More Great Good Dairy-Free Desserts Naturally (Book Publishing Company 2006) is the basis of the Costigan Vegan Baking Boot Camp Intensive®. For more information, www.francostigan.com.