A light, airy and utterly scrumptious dessert. Most people think it’s a tricky recipe but it’s not really that difficult when you know how.
The soufflé as we know it is said to have originated in France in the 18th century when it was apparently created as a dish for the mistress of Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour. The frolicking pair were said to be lovers of chocolate, in the king liked to prepare his own drinking chocolate occasionally, and there is even a chocolate dessert named after him, the Louix XV.
This is an easy chocolate soufflé recipe you can make at home. Its recommended you prepare all the ingredients ahead of starting so that you can make the dish in one go which will definitely help to make it more successful.
Ingredients for 4 chocolate souffles (because 2 is never enough)
200g (1 cup) chopped dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
60g (1/2 cup) chopped butter
4 egg yolks
1 tbs sifted cocoa
1 tbs sifted plain flour
6 egg whites
Pinch salt
1/2 cup caster sugar
Method
Before you start: Preheat oven to 200 Deg C/400 Deg F.
Butter 4 individual soufflé dishes and sprinkle with caster sugar, tip out excess sugar.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl over a saucepan of boiling water (the bowl shouldn’t touch the water). Stir gently until it’s melted and smooth then remove from the heat and let cool for a couple of minutes.
Stir in the 4 egg yolks, a little at a time, plus the sifted cocoa and flour.
Beat the 6 egg whites with a whisk with a pinch of salt until you get soft peaks forming. Then add the sugar a table spoon at a time, beating each time you add. You should at the end have a lovely thick glossy mix of meringue (this is what helps the souffle really rise to its full potential).
Add 1/3 of the meringue to the mix and gently stir it in. Fold in the rest of the meringue.
Immediately pour into the ramekins and bake for 20 minutes (or until its well risen).
Serve immediately (dusted with icing sugar always looks lovely) …
And if you want more inspiration – check out this little snippet with Audrey Hepburn in the film Sabrina (1954) – on how to (not) cook a souffle!
