Chocolate Soufflé

Chocolate soufflé can sound intimidating, but all you need is a basic list of ingredients and a little technique know-how, and you’ll feel like a kitchen all-star when you pull this dessert out of your oven. It’s light and decadent at the same time, plus you can make a large one or individual ramekins, and prepare in advance for an easy dinner party dessert.

With Valentine’s Day coming up, I thought something a little chocolatey and a little decadent would be fitting. 

I had never made chocolate soufflé before, but I churned so many out of my kitchen over the last six weeks that at one point, my husband declared that he couldn’t eat anymore chocolate soufflé (I always had room for a little bit more chocolate, ha!). I tried different ratios of ingredients, different techniques, and finally settled on my very, very favorite version. And I LOVE it.

I’ve included tons of information, tips, and photos below (as well as a video!) to help you rock your chocolate soufflé this month!

How to Make Chocolate Soufflé

A soufflé has a very basic set of ingredients, but the key to making a phenomenal soufflé is the technique which is used to mix them all together. Let’s discuss!

1. Grease the pan and coat in sugar – MOST IMPORTANT! Coating the pan with sugar gives the batter sometime to cling to as it rises and prevents it from slipping down the sides of the pan. This allows the soufflé to keep rising and rising, getting above the rim of the pan.
2. Melted butter and dark chocolate – This is the first step in putting the soufflé together, and while many recipes don’t include butter at all, I really liked using it to ratchet up the decadence level. It gives the center of the soufflé a ganache-like texture. Once it’s melted together, whisk in a little vanilla and a pinch of salt, then set aside to cool a bit.
3. EGGS! Eggs are the key to the castle here. You need to work with the eggs in two steps. First, we are going to mix together egg yolks with sugar and beat it until it’s really thick and very pale yellow, almost ivory in color.  This takes a good few minutes, and helps to set the stage for all of the volume we’re trying to get into the batter. Then, we’ll fold in the melted butter and chocolate mixture with the egg yolk mixture and set aside.
4. Next we’re going to beat egg whites with cream of tartar and a little sugar until they reach stiff, glossy peaks. Once they’re ready, a quarter of the mixture gets stirred into the egg yolk/chocolate mixture to loosen it up. Then the rest of the egg whites are added and we very gently fold them in, taking care to be easy so as not to deflate the whites – they are the key to that amazing rise we’re going to get in the oven.
5. At this point you can put the batter into a 2-quart soufflé dish or individual ramekins and run a finger in a circle through the batter (it helps with an even rise! watch the video below and see the photos for an illustration) and pop in the oven.

How Will You Know When the Soufflé is Done? 

Important, right?! You want to make sure it’s done enough so you don’t end up with a soupy center, but not overdone with burnt edges. I found that when the outer part of the soufflé is completely set and the center still jiggles juuuuuuuust a tiny bit, then it’s a good time to take it out of the oven.

What Goes Up Must Come Down

Your soufflé WILL fall about 5 to 10 minutes after it comes out of the oven, so don’t panic and think you did something wrong. It’s the sheer force of gravity; the hot air in the oven is keeping that delicious chocolate dessert nice and high, but once it is removed, it will start to shrink back down.

You have a few choices here:

1. Rush the soufflé to the table to place before your guests before it falls so that they can marvel in all its glory;
2. Not worry about the soufflé sinking but fill the cavity with something delicious like ice cream, whipped cream, creme anglaise, and/or a caramel sauce.
3. If you make a single large soufflé, scoop it out into serving dishes without worrying about how it looks.

At some restaurants, they will take two forks and split open the top of the soufflé and pour in a dessert sauce prior to serving (this sounds phenomenal!).

I personally am happy to let anyone see the soufflé fresh from the oven and then explain why it sinks back down. Wow them with science and don’t worry about perfection :)

What Does Chocolate Soufflé Taste Like?

A slice of heaven!

Seriously though, I love that it has multiple layers of texture going on.

• The outermost layer of the soufflé is caked in a sugar from the coating on the pan, giving it a sweet crust.
• The next layer is light and airy, almost sponge-like.
• Finally, the center is a firm, yet creamy texture that melts in your mouth.

You may be wondering if there is a big difference between making one large soufflé and multiple individual soufflés in ramekins… well, after tons of trial and error, my official personal preference is an individual soufflé.

While both are delicious, I like that you can really get a sense for the varying textures when you eat a smaller one, versus a scoop out of the larger dish.

Chocolate Souffle Recipe Notes

• You will need either a 2-quart soufflé dish or individual ramekins (you can use whatever size you like, but I think 8-ounce ramekins produce a nice size individual dessert).
• You can substitute milk or semisweet chocolate for the dark chocolate.
• All of the mixing can be done by hand with a whisk, but will take some elbow grease!
• If you prefer a lighter dessert, you can reduce the amount of butter by half.
• To cut this recipe in half, use 3 egg yolks and and a 1-quart soufflé dish (or 4 to 6 ramekins).
• Chocolate soufflé can be made ahead! Prepare the batter, transfer into the soufflé dish or ramekins, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 1 day. Bake as directed.
• Soufflé is best served immediately to get the full effect of the varying textures, but leftovers can be covered and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days. They settle and become a little more dense, but are still oh-so-delicious!

Alright, chocolate soufflé… YOU CAN DO THIS!

Grab your butter, favorite chocolate, some eggs, and hit the kitchen!

If You Like This Chocolate Soufflé, Try These:

• Chocolate Bread Pudding
• Chocolate Pots de Crème
• Homemade Chocolate Pudding
• Chocolate Pavlova with Mascarpone and Raspberries
• Dark Chocolate Mousse

One year ago: Red Velvet Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Frosting
Five years ago: Homemade Chocolate Pudding
Six years ago: Buckeye Brownies
Eight years ago: Sausage Dip

 

[photos by Ari of Well Seasoned]