Chocolate Soufflé Recipe
This classic French Chocolate Soufflé Recipe is a rich, decadent dessert that is light and airy and bursting with chocolate flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons bread flour
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/3 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or bar cut into small pieces
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 5 large egg whites
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- softened butter and sugar for ramekin greasing
- powdered sugar for garnish
Instructions
- Make the beurre manie by mixing and kneading together the softened butter with flour. Set it to the side.
- Next, bring the milk and 1/3 cup of sugar to a boil in a medium-sized sauce pot.
- Turn the heat to low and whisk in the beurre manie until no chunks remain and it is smooth.
- Boost the heat back to high and bring the mixture to a boil while constantly whisking. The mixture will become very thick.
- Next, turn the heat back down to low and occasionally whisk for 5 to 6 minutes or until the starchy flour taste is gone.
- Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and cover with plastic. Set it to the side.
- In the meantime, add the chocolate to a metal bowl and place over a medium-sized sauce pot 1/3 of the way filled with water simmering over low to medium heat and mix with a rubber spatula until melted. This only takes 2 to 3 minutes. See the video below on how to melt the chocolate in the microwave.
- Whisk the melted chocolate into the thickened milk until combined. Cover it and set it aside again.
- Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites into two separate bowls.
- Whisk the vanilla and the egg yolks into the chocolate milk mixture. It will thin out a little bit. Place the bowl uncovered in the refrigerator.
- Next, add the egg whites to a stand mixer with the whisk attachment and mix on high speed for 1 to 1:15 or until soft peaks are formed.
- Pour in the 2 tablespoons of sugar and salt and continue mixing on high speed for 45 seconds to 1 minute or until stiff peaks are formed.
- Add the whipped egg whites (meringue) into the chocolate bowl in 3 separate phases gently folding them in until combined. Do not add the next batch of egg whites until the previous one is folded in. There should be no whites anywhere.
- Heavily butter and sugar the ramekins in the inside and lip of the ramekin. Place them on a sheet tray lined with parchment paper.
- Evenly distribute the batter between the ramekins. The batter should go right to the top.
- Using an offset spatula or a butter knife, gently flatten out the batter. This does not need to be perfect.
- Bake in the oven on a lower third rack at 375° no convection, for 20 to 22 minutes or until the souffle has risen about 1 inch over the ramekin.
- Garnish with your favorite toppings and serve immediately.
Notes
Make-Ahead: The batter can stay covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before being transferred to the buttered, sugared ramekin and baked.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. This does not freeze well.
How to Reheat: Place on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and bake it in the oven at 350° for 5-6 minutes. It will not be the same as the first time baked, but it will still be delicious.
You can add 1 ounce of Bailey's Irish Cream or Kahlua when folding in with the chocolate to enhance or change the flavor.
It is best to use good baking chocolate instead of chocolate chips for melting.
When the batter is cool, it will resemble a soft ganache.
You will know the water in the pot for the double boiler is lightly simmering when you see little bubbles collect on the bottom of the pot.
The number one thing to ensure this souffle rises is to double-check that your ramekins and lip of the ramekin are extremely well buttered and sugared. If there are any dry spots or not enough sugar, the batter will get caught, and it will fall as it attempts to rise.
The inside of a baked souffle will be firm around the outsides and soft and slightly runny in the middle, like a Lave Cake.
Be careful when opening and closing the oven, as too much movement can also cause the souffle to fall.
You’ll only have about 2-3 minutes after the souffle comes out of the oven before it starts to fall.
If your souffle happens to fall while baking or some of it begins to run down the side of the ramekin, the recipe itself is not ruined as far as baking time, texture, and flavor are concerned. While it is important that it rises without cracking, it will still taste delicious.
This recipe works. I’ve tested it multiple times. However, making soufflé is challenging and can be difficult.
Nutrition
Calories: 403kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 11gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.4gCholesterol: 226mgSodium: 309mgPotassium: 308mgFiber: 2gSugar: 28gVitamin A: 632IUCalcium: 118mgIron: 2mg