Hello world! I can’t believe it, but it’s been almost a year since my last post. The past 12 months have been so busy with new and exciting projects that I had to push my baking/blogging to the side to make time to work on these projects. I found myself having urges to get back into it but could never find the time. That is, until now…! And what better way to celebrate the rebirth of my blog than by making chocolate soufflés?!

I don’t think I’ve ever had a chocolate soufflé before so I wasn’t sure what the texture and taste should be like. All I know is that the best soufflés I’ve seen have always had lots of height, and unfortunately for me my soufflés sank within 2 seconds of taking them out of the oven. What a sad moment

The insides of the soufflés were really light and moist – foamy even, with the tops and sides being quite crunchy for the added texture. If you like your chocolate I’d probably add more chocolate into the mix as I found the original recipe I used had quite a mild chocolate flavour (I’ll note this in the recipe below).

All in all, this dessert is quick and easy to whip up and would be perfect for entertaining dinner guests. Serve it up with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream for added richness.

Easy Chocolate Soufflés (Serves 6)

Ingredients
7 large egg whites, room temperature
3 large egg yolks, room temperature
150g bittersweet chocolate, chopped (use up to 200g if you love your chocolate)
2 tbsp butter, room temperature, plus more for prepping soufflé dish
1/8 tsp salt
1/3 cup sugar, plus extra for prepping souffle dish

Method
1. At least an hour and up to a day before, remove eggs from fridge and separate (they separate easier while they’re still cold). Allow eggs to come to room temperature.
2. When you’re ready to bake, preheat oven to 200C.
3. Prepare soufflé ramekins. Generously butter then sprinkle with sugar. Knock out excess. Place dishes in the fridge until you’re ready to fill them.
4. Beat yolks on medium until thick and pale yellow.
5. Melt your chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave. If opting for the microwave – dump chocolate into a microwavable bowl, preferably not glass because that conducts too much heat. Cook one minute on half power. Remove and stir. Continue cooking for 30 seconds at a time on half power, stirring between, until chocolate is melted. Add butter and salt and stir until fully combined. If butter will not fully melt, it’s okay to put everything back in the microwave for 15 seconds longer (at half power again).
6. Fold yolks into chocolate until fully combined.
7. Whip egg whites on medium speed until they form soft peaks – make sure you have a perfectly clean, dry mixing bowl.
8. Add the sugar half at a time, beating for a few seconds after each addition. Beat until whites are shiny and form stiff peaks. Do not over beat. If you over beat, your whites will become rigid and won’t be able to expand in the oven and rise.
9. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold about a quarter of the beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture until fully combined. Spoon the remaining whites on top and fold until mostly combined. Don’t over fold here. It’s okay to leave a few streaks.
10. Spoon the batter into the prepared ramekins and smooth the top.
11. Reduce the oven temp to 190C.
12. Bake for around 16 minutes until the crust is browned, but the middle jiggles slightly when you gently shake them.
13. Serve immediately to your table full of admiring guests.