Chocolate Souffles for Two
Prep 30 mins Bake 15 mins Eat 45 mins
It’s Valentine’s Day, so make something chocolaty and sweet for your Valentine. Chocolate Souffles. I know it sounds difficult, but I promise to hold your hand through the process and even if they aren’t perfect the first time, they will be delicious. I can promise you that. So gather your ingredients and let’s get started.
Separate each egg individually and place the yolks into one bowl and the whites in another.
First are the eggs, which are a key to success. You must separate the whites from the yolks. The whites CAN HAVE NO YELLOW. But it’s OK for the yellow to have whites. For this reason, it’s easier to make Chocolate Souffles for Two requiring less eggs when you are learning. (See a separate recipe below just for two.) The secret is…let whatever white fall naturally in one small bowl and the rest of the white will stay with the yellow yolk. Do only one egg at a time, then add the eggs into your final bowls. One for yolks and one for whites. and start again with the small bowls. If you mess up and yellow goes into the white, put that egg aside and make an omelet with it later and wash out the bowl and begin again. It’s easier to separate the eggs when they are cold, as the yolk stays more plump.
Dry Ingredients; Pour milk into dry ingredients; Whisk continually; Custard mixture is thickened.
Next, create the custard…put your dry ingredients into a medium saucepan and place on medium heat. Add milk and CONTINUE to whisk until it begins to thicken. Turn the heat to low and continue to whisk. Alternate using a rubber spatula to scrape the bottom and using the whisk to stir until it is thickened and looks like the bottom picture. Remove from the heat.
Temper the egg yolks, meaning warming them up slowly with a small amount of chocolate mixture.
Next you will temper the egg yolks. This slowly warms up the egg yolks, so they don’t cook too fast and create a scrambled egg effect. Add a small amount of the chocolate mixture into the egg yolks. Stir it until combined. Add a little more chocolate mixture, stir.
The chocolate custard will look like this when it is done.
Then pour the egg mixture into the pot with the remaining chocolate, whisking continuously until combined. It should be thickened. Stir in butter and vanilla. Then set aside and let cool slightly.
The egg whites are beaten with an electric mixer until you have stiff peaks like these.
Whip the egg whites until soft, then add sugar and whip some more. They are done when you see tracks and stiff peaks come up from the mixture, which is shiny from the sugar.
Use a rubber spatula to slice through and lift up the mixture slowly. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and do again.
Then fold the chocolate custard into the egg whites carefully. Slide the chocolate mixture into the side of a large bowl with the egg whites. This is another tricky step. DO NOT STIR. USE A RUBBER SPATULA AND GO SLOW. The key to a good chocolate soufflé is the air you’ve built into the egg whites, so you don’t want to deflate the egg whites by stirring them. Slowly slice through the center and lift up the mixture slowly, revealing the dark chocolate color. Turn the bowl 1/4 turn and do again. The mixture will begin to look marbled. Continue only until you no longer see the dark chocolate color. The mixture will not be evenly colored. Then carefully spoon the mixture into the prepared ramekins.
Chocolate Souffles fresh out of the oven have risen from the air in the egg whites.
The Mini Chocolate Souffles will bake in only 15 minutes, so don’t put them in the oven early. You want them to come out of the oven and onto the table without delay. So plan to put them in the oven exactly 15 minutes before you want to serve them. While you are waiting, whip up some whipping cream with the electric mixer and have ready to serve with your Chocolate Souffles.
Making Chocolate Souffles are an artform that requires practice.
Bring your Chocolate Souffles to the table immediately. With your spoon, make an indentation in the center, add some whipped cream to the top and let it slip inside. The result is lovely, sweet and heavenly…and isn’t that what Valentine’s Day is all about!! Enjoy!
Print this Recipe. Print Chocolate Souffle for Two recipe.
Chocolate Souffles with Whipped Cream
Prep
8 egg whites or 1 cup
6 egg yolks
1 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp sugar
Custard
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups milk
2 Tbs butter
1 tsp vanilla
Create Air
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
Topping
1 1/2 cup whipping cream
1. Preheat oven to 400°. Separate the eggs. Crack shell, keeping yolk in one half, white in other. Turn yolk from one half into the other, letting white run into a small bowl, yolk into a medium bowl, preferably with a spout. Pour each white into large mixing bowl. There can be whites in the yellow, but absolutely no yellow in the whites. Keep whites at room temp to increase air.
2. Grease the inside of 10 ramekins with butter and sprinkle the sugar inside each to cover the butter.
3. Make custard. In medium saucepan with wire whisk, mix flour, cocoa, 3/4 cup sugar, salt. Gradually blend in the milk. Cook, whisking over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken. Turn heat to low. Alternate mixing with a rubber spatula and a whisk, until thickened. Remove from heat. Beat yolks with the whisk. Pour in about 1/2 cup of the cocoa mixture into the yolks and mix thoroughly. Gradually whisk the yolk mixture into the saucepan. Add 2 Tbs butter and the vanilla, stirring until they are combined. Set aside to cool slightly. Recipe can be made in advance to this point.
4. Create air by using an electric mixer to mix the cream of tartar and egg whites. On high speed, beat just until soft peaks form when beater is slowly raised. Add 1/4 cup sugar, beating just until stiff peaks form when beater is raised. Whites will be shiny and satiny.
5. Fold chocolate mixture into egg whites, by sliding the chocolate mixture into the side of the bowl. The egg whites will rise up when this is done. With a rubber scraper, gently fold mixture with an under and over motion, turning the bowl 1/4 turns, just until combined. Overfolding will reduce the height of the souffles. Carefully spoon the souffle mixture into the prepared ramekins. Level off the top with the rubber spatula or a butter knife. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until puffed and set.
6. While the souffles are baking, whip the cream. Guests can break top of souffle and insert whipped cream into the center.
Servings: 10 349 calories per serving
Chocolate Souffles with Whipped Cream
Ingredients
Prep
- 8 egg whites or 1 cup
- 6 egg yolks
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Custard
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 cups milk
- 2 Tbs butter
- 1 tsp vanilla
Create Air
- 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
- 1/4 cup sugar
Topping
- 1 1/2 cup whipping cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°. Separate the eggs. Crack shell, keeping yolk in one half, white in other. Turn yolk from one half into the other, letting white run into a small bowl, yolk into a medium bowl, preferably with a spout. Pour each white into large mixing bowl. There can be whites in the yellow, but absolutely no yellow in the whites. Keep whites at room temp to increase air.
- Grease the inside of 10 ramekins with butter and sprinkle the sugar inside each to cover the butter.
- Make custard. In medium saucepan with wire whisk, mix flour, cocoa, 3/4 cup sugar, salt. Gradually blend in the milk. Cook, whisking over medium heat until mixture begins to thicken. Turn heat to low. Alternate mixing with a rubber spatula and a whisk, until thickened. Remove from heat. Beat yolks with the whisk. Pour in about 1/2 cup of the cocoa mixture into the yolks and mix thoroughly. Gradually whisk the yolk mixture into the saucepan. Add 2 Tbs butter and the vanilla, stirring until they are combined. Set aside to cool slightly. Recipe can be made in advance to this point.
- Create air by using an electric mixer to mix the cream of tartar and egg whites. On high speed, beat just until soft peaks form when beater is slowly raised. Add 1/4 cup sugar, beating just until stiff peaks form when beater is raised. Whites will be shiny and satiny.
- Fold chocolate mixture into egg whites, by sliding the chocolate mixture into the side of the bowl. The egg whites will rise up when this is done. With a rubber scraper, gently fold mixture with an under and over motion, turning the bowl 1/4 turns, just until combined. Overfolding will reduce the height of the souffles. Carefully spoon the souffle mixture into the prepared ramekins. Level off the top with the rubber spatula or a butter knife. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until puffed and set.
- While the souffles are baking, whip the cream. Guests can break top of souffle and insert whipped cream into the center.
- ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FreshFoodinaFlash.com
Those look fabulous!
If I want to make these in advance and then bake right before desserts, would I make the whole recipe all the way through portioning them into the ramekins and then chill until ready to bake? Please advise. Thank you!
I like your method of portioning them into the ramekins and chilling them. I have done this before and it works if the time frame is not to long. For example, do not keep this way overnight, as the egg whites will deflate.