A lot of people are intimidated by the idea of making soufflés but hopefully these tips and the recipe for Chocolate Soufflé will encourage you to try and make your own!
- Making soufflés is easier than you think and the results are brilliant. Just follow this advice and have confidence that all will work out!
- Do not use ramekins that are too thick as they take too long to heat
- When buttering your ramekins use upward strokes to help the soufflés climb up the ramekin to give it a good rise
- Make sure that you coat the ramekin completely with the butter
- A coating of some sort helps the soufflés climb as well
- Place a baking tray into your oven before preheating so that the soufflés can get a kick start when you put them in the oven (it also makes removing them easier)
- Pastry cream can be made in advance. Just leave it to cool completely and when cool place some cling film over the top. Refrigerate until needed. If you feel like making more, do so – it can also be frozen. Just allow to thaw out in the fridge. This recipe usually makes just over 100g but don’t worry if it is slightly less, it will not affect the recipe.
- A bain-marie should only contain a small amount of water – just enough to not run dry, and should always be at a gentle simmer
- Make sure your meringue is well aerated
- Do remember to fully incorporate the egg whites
- Don’t worry if your batter is not 100% smooth or perfect, somehow it will work
- Sprinkling sugar on the top of the soufflés gives it a nice crunch
- Rimming the edge helps it rise
- Soufflés can be prepared in advance. Just place them in the fridge until you need them. Add an extra minute baking time for every 30 minutes they have been in the fridge (up to one and a half hours)
Chocolate Soufflés
Makes enough for: 8 people
Ingredients
For the pastry cream:
- 85 mls milk
- 1 egg yolk – reserve the egg white for the soufflé
- 8 g fructose, plus extra for sprinkling
- 1.25 mls vanilla extract
- 15 g flour
For the vanilla sugar:
- 120 g fructose
- 1 pod vanilla, seeds only
For the soufflé dishes:
- 8 ramekins measuring 6cm wide x 4cm high
- 10 g butter, melted
- vanilla sugar for dusting
For the soufflé:
- 100 g pastry cream
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 175 g egg whites (about 5)
- 60 g vanilla sugar plus extra for dusting
Method
For the pastry cream:
- In a small sauce pan bring the milk to the boil
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks, fructose and vanilla extract
- Then whisk in the flour
- Gradually add the boiling milk and whisk continuously
- Pour the mixture back into the pan and over a medium heat, heat the pastry cream
- Whisk constantly for about 1 minute, to achieve a smooth consistency
- Immediately pour into a glass bowl and sprinkle fructose over the top to prevent a skin forming
For the vanilla sugar:
- Blitz the fructose and the vanilla seeds in a food processor until fine
For the soufflé dishes:
- Using a pastry brush, brush the entire inner surface of your ramekins with the melted butter
- Pour some of the vanilla sugar into each ramekin and rotate until the butter is completely covered
- Shake out the excess into your bowl
For the soufflé:
- Preheat the oven to 170° Celsius with a baking tray on the middle shelf
- Place the pastry cream into the largest glass bowl you have and place over a bain-marie Once warm slowly whisk in the cocoa powder a teaspoon at a time.
- It will become very stiff but don’t let this worry you!
- Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks
- Gradually add the vanilla sugar and whisk until firm but not too stiff
- Whisk a quarter of the egg whites into the pastry cream off the heat, until smooth
- Using a spatula fold in the balance of the egg whites
- Fill your soufflé dishes to the top and smooth off with a palette knife
- Sprinkle the top with vanilla sugar and leave to melt for 1 minute
- Repeat and then thumb the edges
- Bake for 12 minutes and serve immediately
Click on the links for conversions and notes.
As you can see, these photographs were taken a year ago. I sent the recipe to someone who claimed it did not work and so asked Tami to make the recipe and tell me where it went wrong. She got back to me saying that it had worked perfectly.
What I blogged August 3:
- three years ago – Ambrosia Custard
- four years ago – Chilli
Excellent tutorial on how to do a souffle, I didnt know about the upward butter in remi. Looking forward to trying my luck at the good ol souffle again soon. 🙂
Thanks for the compliment Anna. I am hoping this will encourage more people to try making them 🙂
Lovely tips Tandy. To come and think about it, I think I have only ever made a savoury soufflé. Time to change that when we get home.
Have a happy day.
🙂 Mandy xo
Hope you have huge success with making this Mandy 🙂
Delicious chocolate soufflés. I have never made one before as you know I am more of a savory cook… however, can’t wait to try this chocolate little dream!
These tips will work for savoury soufflés as well Bobbi 🙂
Yip! There nothing wrong with this recipe. I actually made a mistake when I made it for the 2nd time yesterday but I managed to correct it and they still worked. I didn’t fill my ramekins but they still rose incredibly well and a pinch of cinammon goes a long way to intensify the chocolate flavour 😉 xx
It makes my heart smile to read that despite not getting it perfect, the soufflés still worked 🙂
Tandy, hands up in the air, am intimidated by making souffles, and yet they are so tasty. I love your chocolate spin. SO delicious. I guess I won’t panic then if my batter is not perfectly smooth and just do my best. (and this is the advice I also give my 5 year old daughter as she goes off to school soon!)
This is the one recipe which I think will work for anyone willing to give it a try! And good luck to your daughter for the start of school 🙂
I’ve never made a souffle… it looks delicious!
Thanks Pam 🙂
I must admit to being intimidated about trying a souffle – Tandy, yours look wonderful – love the height on them! LOVE ALL your tips, I had no idea rimming it would help it rise, nor did I know about the butter in upward strokes application! Thanks so much!
I hope these tips help you to try and make them Shashi 🙂
YUM! These look fantastic. Chocolate souffles just feel so special! They’re worth all that time and effort.
They are indeed Mary Frances 🙂
I love chocolate soufflés. They taste best right out of the oven. These photos make my mouth water.
http://doreensstylediary.com/
Doreen, you are right, you need to eat them straight away 🙂
There are some great tips here Tandy! I didn’t even think to get ramekins that aren’t too thick! 😀
I learnt that through trial and error Lorraine 🙂
yes! i love chocolate souffles! Thanks so much for the recipe!
My pleasure Marcela 🙂
Such a classic recipe, your souflees turned out so well!
Thank you so much 🙂
This looks delicious, Tandy. I’ve never made a soufflé before, but I may just have to give it a go.
Hope you give it a try Susan 🙂
Wow, girl! You are a a real chef. This recipe is so easy and quick to make! Definitely recommend it to my friends. Perfect snack for Saturday party it is :-).
Hope it works out perfectly for you Agness, and thanks for the visit 🙂
Oh Tandy, I am such a HUGE chocolate fan. I an eat it any day of the week. But I’ve never tried my hand at making souffles. Oh I am so trying this. Thanks for this well explained recipe.
I hope you enjoy them Kia 🙂
Oh my this sounds good! I am going to bookmark your site for the fall, very nice.
Allie of ALLIENYC
allienyc.co
Thanks for the compliment and the visit Allie 🙂
Great tips Mandy, I have never made a soufflé but it is on the list.
Hope these work for you 🙂
I do love soufflés but it has been sometime since I last made one… thanks for the tips 🙂
My pleasure Moya 🙂
They look absolutely scrumptious! Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
And thank you for the visit Linda 🙂