None other than a crème de la crème of French classic desserts, a Chocolate Souffle with the addition with a hint of lavender! If you’ve tried making a souffle numerous times and it simply didn’t turn out right, I am feeling your pain. After numerous attempts to get the perfect souffle, I am now pleased to say that I’ve found the ingredients and the method that works for me every time!
I have learned how to make a souffle from Alex, A French Guy Cooking. I cannot tell you how many times I’ve attempted a souffle and failed. It’s silly really, they all use the same ingredients and only slightly different cooking methods, but for me, it was quite a journey to arrive at a recipe that never fails. I long called a Souffle my nemesis! Until Alex came along and showed me how to do it!
I am not going to tell you anything different about souffle in this recipe, really. It is much like any other recipe out there, but for some reason, this is the only way I am able to make a light and airy cloud-like chocolate souffle that doesn’t use any flour, doesn’t taste eggy, and that rises high above the rim of the ramekin.
I now wish I had some photos of my failed souffles: some didn’t rise, some exploded like an active volcano with lava spewing all the way down onto the bottom of the oven (but only on the left-hand side) and yet others were made with flour so I simply cannot bring myself to call them souffle to start with.
Chocolate souffle is an absolute classic and I always felt a bit of inferiority not being able to make one. Come on, I can make a good macaron, how come I cannot master a souffle? I was disappointed. And in all fairness, I did feel very bad every time I failed so in the name of my good mood I only tried making a souffle a couple of times a year. That is until I found Alex, A French Guy Cooking.
OK, I’ll admit… Cheese Souffle and Chocolate Souffle are the only ones I’ve mastered so far, so I am far from an expert in the field, but I hope you can learn and get inspired to master all kinds of souffle together with me. I am currently working hard to try and get a Fruit Based Souffle just right in time for Seb’s birthday. Today, I am sharing Alex’s recipe with my Lavender twist! It’s delicious, and to me, it is infallible!
Step-By-Step Lavender & Chocolate Souffle Recipe:
Melt the butter in a small saucepan or in a microwave, until just liquified, but not bubbling. Deliberately brush 190ml ramekins with butter with a pastry brush and place them in the fridge for the butter to solidify on the walls of the ramekins.
In the meantime, heat the milk with cornflour on low-medium heat stirring continuously until it starts to simmer. Make sure no lumps of cornflour form. Take the mixture off the heat and immediately pour the simmering milk over the finely chopped dark chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Beat in the egg yolks and lavender essence and set the mixture aside.
Using an electric hand-held whisk or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk egg whites until foamy. Start adding caster sugar 1 tsp at a time and keep on whisking until you have a very firm glossy meringue.
Gradually adding the chocolate mixture into the egg whites, carefully fold the two together until combined.
Take the ramekins out of the fridge and brush again with some melted butter. Tip a tsp of sugar into the ramekin and swish it around so that it sticks to the butter at the bottom and on the sides. Tip out any excess.
Pour the souffle batter into the ramekins to the top. Using a dough scraper or a wide-bladed knife, skim the top to create a flat surface. Then clean the ramekin sides. Place the souffles on a baking tray and into the oven for 14-15 minutes.
Serve immediately (they will deflate within a few minutes) with some pouring cream or creme Anglaise!
For other French-cuisine inspired desserts, have a look at our recipes below:
- Salted Caramel Banana Tarte Tatin with Pecans
- White Chocolate and Cranberry Macarons
- Sourdough Kouign Amann
Lavender-Scented Chocolate Souffle
Equipment
- Hand held Mixer or Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment
- Ramekins (190ml) x4
Ingredients
- 300 ml milk
- 20 g cornflour
- 300 g dark chocolate (at least 65% cocoa solids) finely chopped
- 2 egg yolks
- 8 drops of lavender essence
- 3 egg whites
- 85 g caster sugar
- 10 g butter melted, for brushing the ramekins
- 1 tbsp caster sugar for ramekins for ramekins
Instructions
- Deliberately brush ramekins with melted butter and place them in the fridge for the butter to solidify on the walls of the ramekins.
- Heat the milk with cornflour on low-medium heat stirring continuously until it starts to simmer. Make sure no lumps of cornflour form.
- Pour the simmering milk over the finely chopped dark chocolate and stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Beat in the egg yolks and lavender and set the mixture aside.
- Using an electric whisk or a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, whisk egg whites until foamy. Start adding caster sugar 1 tsp at a time and keep on whisking until you have a firm glossy meringue.
- Gradually adding the chocolate mixture into the egg whites, carefully fold the two until combined.
- Take the ramekins out of the fridge and brush again with some melted butter. Tip a tsp of sugar into the ramekin and swish it around so it sticks to the butter at the bottom and on the sides. Tip out any excess.
- Pour the souffle batter into the ramekins to the top. Using a dough scraper or a wide-bladed knife, skim the top to create a flat surface. Then clean the rim of the ramekin. Place the souffles on a baking tray and into the oven for 14-15 minutes.
- Serve immediately with some pouring cream or creme Anglaise!
Notes
Nutrition
