Chocolate Souffle – Easy Foolproof Method

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This decadent chocolate souffle is dark and intense in flavor, yet light and silky in texture. Follow my easy step-by-step process to master how to make a chocolate souffle like a French pastry chef.

 

Souffles have a reputation for being difficult and tricky to make, but they’re actually quite easy once you understand the process. For this recipe, all you need is chocolate, butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cream of tarter (or white vinegar) and salt – just seven basic ingredients.

 

You begin by melting 4oz of semi-sweet baking squares over a double-boiler. If you don’t have a double-boiler, just place a large heat-proof glass bowl over a medium saucepan like I did. Fill the saucepan with about 1 inch of water. You don’t want the bowl to touch the water. Bring to a low simmer and melt the chocolate until smooth. Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 teaspoon of vanilla and a pinch of salt. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 400F and position a rack on the lowest rung. This allows for the souffle to cook from the bottom and rise up a bit more. This also prevents the top from over browning before its done.

The yield of this recipe depends on the size of your ramekins. It yields about 3-4 small size, 2-3 medium size and 2 large size ramekins. It also depends on how high you fill them. I like to fill mine right to the top for a nice rise above. To prepare your baking cups, brush with melted butter, and sprinkle with sugar to coat the bottom and sides of the cups. The sugar gives the souffle something to grip onto as it rises.

Then you beat your egg white to stiff peaks. How do you tell when you’ve reached stiff peaks? When you stop your beater and the meringue stays still. You can test this by lifting your whisk up and there should be a nice point on the top. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature before you separate them. Room temperature eggs whites beat up much faster than cold egg whites. You can leave the eggs out for an hour to bring to temperature or place the eggs in a bowl of warm water for about 5-10 minutes.

Now as your chocolate cools, it will look seized, but not to worry, once you stir in your egg yolks it will be smooth and glossy again. Stir in one third of your meringue to lighten up the chocolate mixture before adding the remaining thirds one at a time. Gently fold the mixture together using an under and over motion to maintain as much of the air in the meringue as possible because that’s what will give the souffle its structure. Once you’re done, the batter will look like a soft chocolate mousse.

Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins. You can fill each ramekin 3/4 full or I as I like to do, fill it all the way to the top, and level it of with the flat edge of a knife to make a smooth surface. Then I run my thumb along the inside edge of the ramekin about 1/4″ deep making a small channel between the batter and the dish. This creates a nice round mushroom top as it rises and prevents the tops from cracking. Take a clean dish towel and wipe the outside of the ramekins clean and place them on a baking sheet.

I used 4oz baking cups which took exactly 10 minutes, but that might vary slightly depending on your oven. A 6oz size baking will take about 11-13 minutes, and an 8oz size will take about 13-15 minutes. The souffles will rise during the last few minutes. Mine started to rise at about 8 minutes and finished at 10 minutes. Do not open the oven while your souffles are baking. The cold air rushing in could affect the rise. Just turn on the oven light and look through the glass to check on them. It’s best to serve immediately. That way they are nice and warm, and puffed up. The souffles will start to deflate soon after you take them out of the oven.

You can actually make this recipe 24 hours in advance. Just cover your ramekins with saran wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake. Remove the saran wrap, smooth the tops, run your thumb along the edge to make the channel, and bake for about 1-2 minutes longer.

This luxurious chocolate souffle is rich and extremely chocolatey. It’s not overly sweet, just sweet enough to balance the bold chocolate flavor. There are three layers to the texture of this souffle which makes it so incredible. The thin top layer is crisp and crackly. When you first spoon into this dessert there is a light crack that will remind you of a creme brulee. Then you reach into the center where you’ll find a thick molten chocolate sauce similar to a lava cake. The bottom layer is light and airy like a chocolate mousse. All the components just melt in your mouth with a smooth-velvety finish.

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I learned a lot about making souffles from Entertaining with Beth, which is what this recipe is loosely based on.