If you’re wanting to impress, chocolate soufflés are a great way to do it.
This one only requires 6 ingredients and minimal effort.
Welcome to recipes by Carina where I show you how to make classic and simply delicious
recipes, make sure to subscribe for a new video each week.
This chocolate soufflé is also part of my chocolate series which you can find linked
below.
To start using a serrated knife, cut dark chocolate into small pieces.
Alternatively you can break it up with your hands but I always find cutting it much faster.
For these soufflés, chocolate is the main ingredient and mostly what you’ll be tasting
in this dessert.
For that reason choose the best quality chocolate you can.
Try to stay away from chocolate chips and go for a block of eating chocolate.
Dark works best for this, go for 70% if you want it to be incredibly rich or for a little
sweeter flavour 50% is great too.
If you would like the full recipe for this chocolate soufflé it will be on my website
as well as the full measurements listed in the description box below.
This recipe was also a subscriber request so if you have anything you would like to
learn to make, make sure to let me know in the comments below.
You’ll need 170g or 6oz which works out to be about two thirds of my block of dark
chocolate.
Place the chopped chocolate into a heat proof bowl along with a tablespoon of butter and
2 tablespoons of heavy cream.
This, along with egg yolks which we will add later on is the base to our soufflés.
Although majority of soufflés are chocolate there are many different flavours you can
choose from.
Savoury or sweet, anything from a baked cheese soufflé to fresh lemon.
Pour the cream into the mixing bowl and place over a bain-marie which is a french term for
a water bath.
When you’re melting chocolate there is really only two ways to do it, over a water-bath
or Bain Marie or in the microwave.
Placing the chocolate in a saucepan directly over the heat is quite dangerous as 9 times
out of 10 the chocolate will burn.
Make sure the water isn’t touching the bottom of the bowl and leave the chocolate to melt,
stirring occasionally while prepping the ramekins.
Soufflés are iconic for their fluffy high rise so you want to make sure there is nothing
getting in their way.
This means the ramekins need to be greased well so there is no chance the soufflé will
stick, stopping it from rising up.
Using soften butter on a piece of grease proof paper wipe the inside of all of the ramekins
so they are quite well coated.
You don’t want any large clumps of butter in the ramekins but a generous coating is
good.
Add a few teaspoons of white sugar to one of the ramekins and turn it around tilting
it so the sugar sticks to all of the inside surface area before pouring the excess sugar
into the next one.
Repeat this process until all of your ramekins are coated.
By this point the chocolate, butter and cream should be melted.
Check there isn’t any chocolate that hasn’t melted and take the bowl off the heat, leaving
it for a few minutes to cool.
You want to make sure the mixture isn’t hot for this next step or you may end up with
scrambled eggs.
Seperate 3 medium sized eggs, placing the whites in a small bowl and the yolks in the
bowl with the melted chocolate.
Make sure your eggs are at room temperature, if you store them in the fridge just remove
them about 30 minutes before you start baking.
It’s really important here to make sure there is no yolk in your egg white as we will
be whipping these up.
If you’re not confident separating eggs by transferring the yolk to one half of the
shell and then the other there are a few other ways to do it.
You can crack the whole egg over your hand, separating your fingers for the white to fall
through or you can buy an egg separator which will do most of the work for you.
Using a rubber spatula mix the egg yolks into the melted chocolate, butter and cream.
You’ll have a thick glossy mixture.
This is the base for our soufflés so set it to the side while we whip the egg whites.
We’ll need 5 egg whites in total for this recipe so seperate another two eggs, placing
the whites into the same bowl and reserving the yolks for another recipe or just add it
to your scrambled eggs the next morning.
Whipping egg whites and making a meringue isn’t really a job you can do by hand so
I would recommend to use a stand mixer or a hand mixer.
Add the egg whites to the bowl of your stand mixer or a large bowl if you are using a hand
mixer and start to whip on a low speed first until the eggs start to become frothy.
Add about a teaspoon of salt to the whites and whip on a high speed until they reach
soft peaks.
Soft peaks is basically when the egg whites are starting to hold their shape, if you pull
the whisk attachment up out of the egg whites you should see a peak that doesn’t quite
hold it’s shape and the tip will fall to the side.
When your egg whites have reached this stage you can start to add the sugar.
In a soufflé sugar is added to the egg whites instead of the soufflé base as it gives the
whites stability, meaning they are less likely to fall and lose all that air that you are
currently whipping in.
Measure out half a cup of white sugar and with the mixer on the highest speed slowly
start to incorporate it in.
Adding it all at once will cause your egg whites to deflate so either add about a tablespoon
at a time or slowly sprinkle it in like I am.
With your sugar incorporated continue to mix the meringue for another 3-5 minutes or until
you have glossy stiff peaks.
Stiff peaks are like soft peaks but instead of the peak just holding itself up, it stands
tall and the tip of the peak doesn’t fall over.
An easy way to test this is you can turn the bowl upside down on top of your head and nothing
will fall out.
Add a third of your meringue to the soufflé base and using a rubber spatula start to fold
it in.
Adding a third first we’re just trying to lighten up the mixture so it’s easier to
add remaining so you don’t need to be too careful here.
When the white is all incorporated into the chocolate add the remaining two thirds and
start to fold it in using big sweeping motions and cutting through the centre.
Using something like a whisk or just mixing like normal will significantly deflate the
whites so you want to make sure as well as thoroughly mixing you’re also being gentle.
You should end up with a very light and fluffy chocolate mixture.
Using a spoon or I find cookie scoops work well add the soufflé batter to your ramekins.
This should be enough for 6 depending on the size of your ramekins but I’m just going
to make 4 for today.
The remaining will save in the fridge for tomorrow to make more.
Flatten off the top of your ramekin, this makes it rise more evenly and another trick,
run your thumb along with rim.
Place the soufflés in the oven for about 12 minutes for more molten centre or about
15 for a completely set centre.
Serve your soufflé immediately out of the oven as with every second it will start to
deflate.
I like mine topped with whipped cream and maybe a sprinkling of icing sugar, how do
you like yours.
Remember to subscribe and let me know if you are going to make this recipe.
Thank you for watching, and I will see you in my next video.