I am sharing a simple recipe to make chocolate soufflé in 10 steps. Making soufflé is an art and a science. I have watched many cooking shows presenting how to make soufflés. The end results often vary widely with the ingredient ratios, cooking times, or the oven settings. Hence, I thought of sharing a simple and easy-to-follow recipe that can produce a soufflé that is airy, tasty, and decadent.
Soufflé is a french baked dessert that originated in the 18th century. The essence of a good soufflé is the airiness and the rise we get after baking. The texture should be smooth and every bite should feel very light in the mouth. A good soufflé is also defined by the perfect sweetness and earthy taste of the chocolate that doesn’t leave an overpowering taste in the mouth. soufflés can be made as desserts (chocolate, vanilla or other fruit flavors) or savory dishes with cheeses, vegetables, and flour or bread crumbs.
My recipe for chocolate soufflé includes 8 ingredients: eggs, semi-sweet chocolate, granulated sugar, unsalted butter, vanilla essence, salt, cream of tartar OR lemon juice OR vinegar, and powdered sugar for garnish. We need ramekins or oven-safe baking dishes that have at least 2-3 inches in height, a flat base, and flat walls.
The texture and rise for soufflé are provided mainly by the egg whites. Hence, we need to take special care while beating the egg whites and folding the egg whites into the chocolate mixture without deflating the egg whites foam. Also, the type of baking dish we use can help the soufflé rise to the right level.
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Chocolate soufflé – Easy recipe in 10 steps
Description
Chocolate soufflé is a baked dessert that is mildly sweet but very rich and smooth - made with eggs, chocolate, butter and sugar.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Prepare the chocolate base
Step 1. Melt the chocolate and 3/4th quantity of butter in a double boiler or microwave and let it rest for few minutes
Step 2. Slowly mix egg yolks, vanilla essence, and salt until the mixture is uniform
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Beat the egg whites - Key step in the recipe
Step 3. Take a clean bowl and add the egg whites and cream of tartar. Whip the eggs using an egg beater until you get firm peaks. This may take about 2-3 minutes of whipping.
Step 4. Add 3/4th quantity of sugar in two installments at an interval of 30 seconds. Continue whipping until firm peaks are formed.
(Do not overbeat the egg whites as they may start to separate into water and proteins)
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Fold the chocolate mixture into egg yolks
Step 5. Slowly fold the chocolate mixture into the egg whites
Step 6. Take care to maintain the foam. Once the mixture is uniform keep it in a refrigerator until you are ready to bake -
Baking the soufflé
Step 7. Take 4 ramekins and apply the remaining butter using a brush or hands so that the butter is coated uniformly along the ramekin walls. After spreading the butter, coat it with the remaining granulated sugar. The best way is to add 1 teaspoon of sugar and slowly turning the ramekin so that the sugar spreads uniformly.
Step 8. Pour the chocolate and egg mixture until it reaches ½ inch below the top of each ramekin.
Step 9. Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Keep the ramekins on the lowest rack in the oven as we want to bake the soufflé from the bottom. Also, the top of soufflé can get burnt easily if we keep the ramekin too close to the top of the oven.
Bake for 10 minutes on 350 F. Do not open the oven doors while the soufflé is still rising. If the soufflé has risen at least 1/2 inch above ramekin top, then lower the temp to 300 F and bake for another 3-5 minutes. Keep an eye on the top layer of the soufflé as it can burn or turn dark easily.
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Serving the soufflé
Step 10: Remove the ramekins from the oven and sprinkle powdered sugar on the soufflé as soon as you remove them from the oven. Serve the soufflé when it is still warm and within minutes of baking else, it will deflate. If the soufflé is deflated, it is not appealing to eat.
Notes
- Observe the ratios of chocolate to egg yolks and whites
- Beat the egg whites to the right level so as to get stiff peaks
- Refrigerate the chocolate and egg whites mixture until you are ready to bake. The mixture can be stored for a day.