Brandied Caramel Chocolate Souffle

this recipe

Are you looking for a high-impact dessert? Your guests will be surprised with this brandied caramel chocolate souffle. It’s a chocolaty rich, fluffy, delicate tower of deliciousness, with an extra splash of bourbon flavoring in the caramel. This souffle dessert is sure to make you look like an expert baker at your next dinner party.

A souffle is a great dessert at a dinner party because it can be prepped in advance, doesn’t require a lot of time away from guests, and can make a big impression on your guests.

Many people are nervous to try making souffle and think that only exceptional bakers can make them. I was a little nervous making a souffle recipe for the first time, but I was quickly relieved as it was relatively easy to make. I have my tips and tricks below so that you can feel confident making this souffle for your next dinner party.

Alright, you ready to get started?! Let’s get baking!

What is a souffle?

Souffles are composed of an egg white mixture that is whipped into stiff peaks and then folded into a base which is a thick mixture of cream or sauce and flavorings. Some recipes may add the yolk of the eggs to the base. This recipe uses brandied caramel sauce and chocolate for the base, but we do not add any yolks in this recipe.

Souffles are made by beating eggs whites to incorporate in air bubbles into the eggs. As the souffle bakes in the oven, the air bubbles expand and lift the souffle mixture up.

Extreme care must be taken to ensure that no yolk gets into the egg mixture or the souffle won’t be able to rise.

Tips to help your souffle rise

1. Use a very clean bowl. Preferably a metal one as plastic bowls can hold on to oils and fat and prevent your eggs from fluffing up.
2. When separating the eggs, make sure you have absolutely NO yolk in the egg whites. I like to crack the egg over a separate bowl so that I can ensure that there are no yolks before transferring it to the main bowl.
3. Use room temperature eggs. Your eggs will fluff up much better if it is at room temperature.
4. Use small bowls with straight sides to help the souffle rise. I use ramekin bowls.
5. Do not use a nonstick spray to grease the ramekin bowls. You will need to grease them with butter and coat it with a dry ingredient like sugar.
6. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the whipped egg white mixture into the base. You will rotate the spatula from the bottom to the top, gently moving the mixture around without mixing too much. It is okay to not fully incorporate the mixture into each other.

What causes a souffle to fall?

Souffles are considered rather finicky desserts to make. It is said that making loud noises or even walking across the room while the souffle is in the oven could cause the souffle to collapse.

However, according to NPR and MLive, loud noises and walking don’t affect the souffle. The bubbles from the eggs will start to deflate as soon as it is removed from the oven and cools down. Checking on the souffle while it is rising in the oven will also affect the souffle as the bubbles are in contact with the cooler air from outside of the oven.

While it makes sense that the souffle will deflate when exposed to air, I will make sure to give my souffle all of the help it can get and refrain from dancing in the kitchen while I am baking souffle though! (Yes, I like to dance around the kitchen while impatiently waiting for things in the oven!)

Want to prep your souffle in advance?

If you want to prep the souffle ahead of time, you can make your souffle batter up to a day in advance. Assemble the dessert as instructed below, and then cover and place in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature before placing in oven to bake.

How do you make this Brandied Caramel Chocolate Souffle?

Make the caramel sauce

There are two parts to this recipe, as you will be making the souffle and the caramel sauce. I recommend making the caramel sauce first so it has a chance to cool down before adding it to the souffle. Here’s the link for the brandied caramel sauce.

Prep the ramekins

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Grease four ramekins, pour two tablespoons of sugar into the ramekins and rotate to have the sugar coat all surfaces inside of the ramekin. Chill the ramekins in the refrigerator.

Make the chocolate sauce

Next, you will combine the cream and chocolate into a double boiler. I use a metal bowl on top of a saucepan. Fill about 3 inches of water into the saucepan and bring to boil.

Use a pot holder and be careful not to burn yourself as steam can escape from the opening of the pan, and the bowl can get very hot.

On medium heat, stir the mixture until melted and completely smooth. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, crack eggs and separate egg whites out. Be sure that NO yolk remains in egg yolk. Add whites to your stand mixer.

Whisking the eggs

Then, using the whisk attachment on the stand mixer, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. You will see that the peaks are just starting to form, but will fall back on themselves after a second or two.

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar to the egg whites, and beat until stiff peaks are formed. You can tell it is ready when you pull the whisk out. The egg whites will hold its shape even if the whisk is placed upside down.

Fold together chocolate & egg whites

Next, you will use a rubber spatula and gently fold the chocolate sauce into the egg whites, working with about 1/3 of the chocolate mixture at a time. Working around the bowl, gently lift the egg whites and push into the chocolate sauce.

Be careful to not over mix. You do not need to completely blend the chocolate into the egg whites.

Assemble the souffle

Remove the ramekins from the refrigerator. Divide mixture to fill each of the ramekins 3/4 full. Place ramekins on baking sheet and place into the oven.

Bake and serve immediately

Bake until set in center, about 13-15 minutes. Remove from oven, dust with confectioners sugar and pour brandied caramel sauce on top. Serve immediately. As it cools the souffle will start to fall.

You’ll also love these recipes:

• Classic Crinkle Cookies
• Snickerdoodle Cream Cheese Apple Pie
• Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
• Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Shots
• Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies
• Double Decker Cookie Bars

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