Chocolate Souffle
Quick answer
- Total time
- 40 min
- Level
- Hard
- Servings
- 4 servings
- Ingredients
- 7
About this dish
Chocolate souffle folds stiffly beaten egg white meringue into a base of melted dark chocolate and egg yolks, then bakes it in a buttered ramekin at high heat until it rises dramatically above the rim.
Read more
The intense oven heat expands the air trapped within the meringue, pushing the souffle upward while the exterior sets into a thin, delicate crust and the interior remains a molten, near-liquid chocolate cream. Breaking through the top with a spoon releases a rush of hot, intensely flavored chocolate from inside, and that moment of opening is the point of the entire dessert. The souffle begins to deflate within a minute or two of leaving the oven, so it must go directly to the table without delay. Coating the inside of the ramekin with butter followed by sugar is not optional: this surface preparation gives the batter traction to climb straight upward rather than sticking to the sides and collapsing unevenly. Using chocolate with a high cocoa content produces a deeper, more defined contrast between bitterness and sweetness. The most critical technical step is folding the meringue into the chocolate base using broad, circular motions with a spatula and a minimum number of strokes, because overmixing deflates the air bubbles that are responsible for the rise. Serve dusted with powdered sugar or alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Season
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Brush the inside of each ramekin with butter from bottom to top, then coat with sugar and shake out the excess so the batter can climb evenly without sticking.
- 2Season
Melt 140g dark chocolate with 40g unsalted butter over a gentle double boiler, stirring until no lumps remain.
Remove from the heat and let it cool until warm, not hot, before adding the yolks.
- 3Prep
When the chocolate mixture is no longer hot, whisk in 3 egg yolks one at a time, mixing quickly after each addition so they do not curdle. Stir in 12g cocoa powder until the base is smooth.
- 4Season
Whip 4 egg whites with 1 tsp salt until foamy, then add 55g sugar in three additions.
Continue beating until the meringue is glossy, firm, and holds its shape without sliding in the bowl.
- 5Step
Fold one third of the meringue into the chocolate base first to loosen it.
Add the rest in two batches, using broad bottom-to-top spatula strokes and stopping as soon as no white streaks remain.
- 6Finish
Fill each ramekin to about 80 percent and run a fingertip around the inside edge to make a shallow groove.
Bake for 12-15 minutes without opening the oven door, then serve immediately before it sinks.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Intense oven heat expands meringue air to push the Chocolate Souffle above the rim.
- Finish cue
- Continue beating until the meringue is glossy, firm, and holds its shape without sliding in the bowl.
- Avoid this
- Do not open the oven door while baking.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
40min, 7 ingredients
Category median
55min, 8 ingredients
Based on 248 recipes
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