Chocolate Soufflé: the best recipe for making a flawless dessert soufflé

If you're looking for an amazing dessert to impress your partner this Valentine's Day, look no further than the classic chocolate soufflé. This beautiful French dessert offers a rich, chocolatey flavor and a melt-in-your-mouth texture that's impossible to resist.

Chocolate soufflé is perfect for Valentine's Day, anniversaries, or any romantic occasion. It has a perfectly airy texture, with an ever so slightly crispy top and a stunning creamy, silky chocolate inside that is incredibly delicious.

If you've never made chocolate soufflé before, don't worry – while making a soufflé may seem challenging, this recipe is surprisingly easy. The secret? Serve your chocolate soufflé as soon as it comes out of the oven so it doesn't shrink!

Chocolate Soufflé Ingredients

To make the perfect chocolate soufflé, you'll need butter, eggs, sugar, and salt.

Chocolate and vanilla are essential will give the soufflé its flavor. We recommend using high-quality chocolate.

Cream of tartar is also essential. If you don't have any, run out to the shops and pick it up. Cream of tartar will help prevent your soufflé from deflating and ensure it can rise beautifully while cooking in the oven.

Flour usually isn't used in sweet soufflé. Without flour, the chocolate soufflé can get airy, tall, and stay light. It has the added bonus of being gluten-free.

How to Make Chocolate Soufflé

Whether you're a seasoned soufflé baker or whipping up this beautiful French dessert for the first time, this chocolate soufflé recipe is incredibly easy to make. Here's what you need to do. Start by heating your oven to 400F.

Take 2 tablespoons of butter and thoroughly grease the ramekins. Place 3 tablespoons of sugar into the first ramekin and rotate it to coat the inside with sugar. Pour the excess sugar into your second ramekin, then repeat until all the ramekins are coated with sugar. Pop the ramekins in the fridge.

Now it's onto the soufflé batter! Melt the chocolate and the rest of the butter in the microwave. Once melted and smooth, let it cool for a few minutes. In a bowl, beat your egg yolks, vanilla, and salt. Grab a separate large bowl and beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until they become foamy and double in size. Slowly beat in the remaining sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form. We recommend using a handheld electric mixer for this process.

Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate. Refrigerate the batter for about 10 minutes. Pour the soufflé batter into the ramekins. Gently smooth the top and bake the soufflé for 12 to 14 minutes. They should rise above the edge of the ramekin and the center should be slightly jiggly.

Remove from oven, garnish with fresh berries and powdered sugar if desired, and serve immediately.

Tips for Making the Best Soufflé

Don't overmix your batter! This is the number one cause for flat soufflé.

Mix your egg whites in bit by bit. This will help keep you from deflating them.

Make sure the bowl you use to beat your egg whites is spotless. Any grease or oil will prevent them from forming stiff peaks.

Use any type of chocolate you prefer to make your soufflé. Semi-sweet, dark, milk or white chocolate all work well.

Don't be tempted to open the oven door when your soufflé is baking. This will make it deflate.

If your soufflé didn't rise, it might be because you've overmixed the batter. Another possible cause is that your oven wasn't hot enough.

If your soufflé cracked, it might be because you overbaked it. To avoid a cracked soufflé, it's best to take it out a little earlier rather than leaving it in the oven too long.

Overbaking the soufflé is also the main cause of the dessert being dry.

If you want to make a chocolate soufflé without butter, you can swap it out for heavy cream.

For an even richer chocolate flavor, try adding some high-quality cocoa powder to your soufflé batter.

Can You Store Soufflé?

Leftover chocolate soufflé can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge.

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400F.

Generously grease the ramekins with 2 tablespoons of butter. Place 3 tablespoons of sugar into the first ramekin. Rotate the ramekin to coat with sugar, then pour the excess into a second ramekin. Repeat until all the ramekins are coated.

Set the ramekins on a baking tray and place them in the fridge. Melt the chocolate and 3 tablespoons of butter in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring occasionally. Heat until the mixture is smooth, then set aside to cool for 2 minutes. In a bowl, beat egg yolks, vanilla, and salt.

In a separate large bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until foamy and doubled in size. Slowly beat in the remaining sugar, and beat until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate. Place in the fridge for 10 minutes.

Take the ramekins and batter out of the fridge. Pour the batter into the ramekins. Gently smooth the top. Run a butter knife around the edge of the batter, about 1/4-inch of the way down the ramekin.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the soufflé rises above the edge of the ramekin.

Remove from oven and serve immediately.