Bake: Dark Chocolate Souffle

picture of dark chocolate souffle

I've been wanting to try making a souffle for a while.  My mom recently bought me some souffle dishes as a gift, so I decided to start with a chocolate souffle (that way if it fell or otherwise didn't bake correctly, it would still be a delicious bowl full of chocolate).  It was actually really easy to make, and turned out great.

Recipe after the jump...

Dark Chocolate Souffle
Prep Time: 15 minutes 
Total Time: 50 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

2 oz dark chocolate (60% cacao or higher)
3 egg yolks
4 egg whites
2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
0.5 c half and half or heavy cream
0.5 tbsp unsalted butter, plus a little more
0.33 c sugar, plus a little more
0.25 tsp cream of tartar or white vinegar
pinch of salt

(1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees
(2) Prepare a 1-quart souffle dish (or smaller ones adding up to 1 qt) by coating the inside with butter and sugar; (optional extra step) Fold a long piece of foil in half, butter the top of it, wrap it around the dish, and secure with cooking twine to make a "collar"
picture of foil being wrapped around souffle dish and fastened to make a collar

(3) Melt dark chocolate and butter in a double boiler
picture of chocolate being melted in a double boiler
 (4) Meanwhile, beat together egg yolks, salt, and all but 1 tbsp of the sugar until light yellow in color and ribbons form when the beater is lifted out of the mixture
picture of beating together sugar, salt, and egg yolks
(5) When the chocolate is melted, add the cocoa powder and slowly incorporate half and half until the chocolate reaches a creamy consistency
picture of blending cocoa powder and half and half into melted chocolate
(6) With a clean bowl and whisk attachment, whip egg whites and cream of tartar together until they make soft peaks
picture of whipping egg whites and cream of tartar to form soft peaks
(7) Slowly add in the remaining sugar and whip until the mixture forms stiff peaks, but is still glossy
picture of adding sugar and whipping to form stiff peaks
(8) Stir egg yolk mixture into chocolate mixture
picture of egg yolk mixture added to chocolate mixture
(9) Gently incorporate 0.25 of the egg white mixture into the chocolate to lighten
picture of one quarter of egg white mixture added to chocolate mixture
(10) Fold the chocolate into the remaining egg white mixture until just incorporated
picture of chocolate mixture folded into remaining egg white mixture
(11) Transfer to souffle dish; bake for 30-35 minutes -- no peeking!
picture of unbaked souffle in baking dish
(12) Sprinkle top with confectioner's sugar; eat immediately
picture of final dark chocolate souffle being topped with confectioner's sugar


Notes:  The butter and sugar coating the pan help to release the souffle from the dish, and also form a crunchy outer crust.  The foil collar is supposed to help it rise higher, though in this case it wasn't really necessary.  Souffles begin to fall as soon as they are removed from the oven, so for visual effect it is best to eat immediately.  However, I can testify that it is equally delicious the next day, straight from the fridge!  To make it super-indulgent, serve with coffee ice cream and fresh whipped cream.  You can prepare the recipe ahead of time up through step (10), but add an extra egg white or two -- expanding air bubbles in the egg whites are what causes the souffle to rise; as the whites are mixed with fatty ingredients, the air bubbles pop.  As the mixture sits, there will be fewer and fewer air bubbles contained within, and the souffle will not rise as high; adding more egg whites helps alleviate this problem.  You can also freeze the prepared souffle mix without the need for adding extra whites.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

That looks great and it looks like it is also gluten free. Glad you enjoy the dishes. Mom

Anonymous said...

Sounds delicious. I'll have to try it however I don't have a soufle dish. What size is the one you used? Perhaps I could substitute a corning casserole dish??? Great pic's for directions.
Jo Anne

MJX said...

Thanks Jo Anne. I used a 1-qt souffle dish. You can definitely use a casserole dish with straight sides instead (the straight sides are important because the souffle needs something to cling to as it rises).

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