Dark Chocolate Orange Souffle for Two

This is the best and only chocolate souffle recipe you will ever need! This dark chocolate orange souffle for 2 is made with a chocolate pastry cream base, flavored with orange zest, and finished off with beaten egg whites. This is an easy, yet elevated, dessert that will have you looking like a pro! Ideal for date night or just to surprise someone you love, this dark chocolate souffle will get you hooked! I can't wait for you to try it out.

Material & Ingredient Notes

• Pastry cream: you can find the recipe with all the details and tips to make it extra smooth here: Vanilla Pastry Cream
• Dark chocolate: use a good quality chocolate like Valrhona.
• Egg whites: should be beaten at the last minute to keep that souffle super fluffy.
• Ramequins: this recipe calls for 2 130 ml (4.4 oz) ramequins.

How to make this recipe

To make this dark chocolate souffle, you must:

• Make the pastry cream
• Make the chocolate ganache and pour over the pastry cream
• Make chocolate pastry cream
• Beat the egg whites
• Fold the egg whites into the chocolate pastry cream
• Fill the ramequins and bake the souffle

Recipe Notes

• Preheat the oven to 180 C°(360 F) and place an empty baking tray in the bottom rack of the oven.
• Weigh out all the ingredients before you start making this dark chocolate orange souffle recipe. It helps verify everything is there and avoids a mid-baking trip to the grocery storemaking your job easier - It's all about prepping!
• Butter and sugar the 2 ramequins before you start preparing the ingredients. Place them on a baking tray.
• When buttering the ramequins use softened butter. To do this, use a brush and coat them up to the interior rim. Make sure they are evenly buttered, in straight lines going up. This is very important as the butter on the sides of the ramequins will help the souffle grow straight once in the oven.
• Pastry cream must be still hot when you add in the ganache for making chocolate pastry cream. If you will not be doing this right away, you can keep the pastry cream hot over a water bath.
• Once done, keep the chocolate pastry cream warm over a water bath while you beat the egg whites.
• Mix the orange zest with the sugar you will be using to beat the egg whites. Do this before starting the recipe so it has time to really flavor the sugar.
• The egg whites must be beaten to stiff peaks, but not too stiff, almost a cream-like consistency. They must not be hard, or beak when you fold them into the pastry cream (in this case they have been over whisked).
• Egg whites mustn't be under whisked or the souffle won’t grow as nicely or as tall. If when you start transferring them onto the pastry cream you notice there is liquid at the bottom of the bowl, it means that they weren't whisked enough.
• When folding the egg whites into the chocolate pastry cream, be gentle. Do this in two additions: 1/3 of the egg whites first, to loosen up the pastry cream and create a texture closer to that of beaten egg whites. This will make the incorporation of the egg whites into the pastry cream easier. Then you can add the remaining 2/3.

Recipe notes relative to baking this dark chocolate souffle

• Now fill the ramequins with the dark chocolate souffle batter up to the interior rim.
• Run your finger around the edges of the ramequin.
• Don't touch the tops and don’t spread the souffle out. Once you fill the ramequins, don't touch the souffle unless you are eating it! I can't stress this enough. If you do, the tops won't be smooth, and very likely will grow one-sided.
• Don't open the door of the oven while the souffle is baking! Once you do the chocolate souffle will immediately deflate, and it will be the end of it!
• If underbaked, it will be puffed, but immediately deflate once you remove it from the oven, as it can't hold its shape as the interior is not properly baked through.
• They must be eaten immediately after you remove them from the oven.
• Tip: place 2 small dessert plates on the table where you are having dinner, and then simply place each ramekin on the small plates using oven gloves or a kitchen towel (don't get burned)

Making ahead

Dark chocolate souffle can't be made ahead entirely, however, chocolate pastry cream can. It lasts for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. Once you are ready to use it, smooth it out using a whisk and warm it up in a small pan over medium heat, and proceed as instructed in the recipe to make this orange chocolate souffle for two.

The same goes for the pastry cream used as a base for the chocolate pastry cream. You can make it ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When ready to use, smooth it out and warm it up over medium heat. Then proceed as instructed in the recipe to make this dark chocolate souffle recipe.

The same goes for the pastry cream used as a base for the chocolate pastry cream. You can make it ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When ready to use, smooth it out and warm it up over medium heat. Then proceed as instructed in the recipe to make this dark chocolate souffle recipe.

However, beating the egg whites and folding them into the chocolate pastry cream must be done just before baking. The French would say "à la minute".

Tips on Serving Warm Dark Chocolate Souffle and still enjoy your dinner date (party)

If you are planning to do this for date night, you can have your chocolate pastry cream ready and over a water bath. The egg whites in the mixing bowl, the sugar mixed with the orange zest, and a spatula right beside it. The ramequins buttered and sugared on a baking tray with a clean rubber spatula next to them. Everything is ready to go!

When you clear the entrée, turn on the oven. When you clear the dishes for the main course, start whisking the egg whites, don’t go very far. Once they are done fold the egg whites into the chocolate pastry cream, fill the ramequins, and place them inside the oven.

Set a timer and go back to the table with 2 empty dessert dishes, a small strainer, and a small bowl filled with powdered sugar. Let the wine flow and relax. It goes by fast. When the timer goes off, remove the baking tray from the oven. Grab each souffle with one hand using a kitchen towel or oven gloves and bring them to the dining table. Sprinkle powdered sugar over the souffles and dig in.

Work fast!

You can test run one day for fun!

Storage notes

Chocolate souffle can be stored if there was anything left! To do this, cover the ramequins with saran wrap, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Warm-up at 200 °C for 5 minutes before eating.

Variations to this recipe

This souffle can be made into white chocolate souffle. All you need is to swap the amount to dark chocolate with white chocolate.

In this case, when you are making the white chocolate ganache, make sure you melt the white chocolate before adding in the hot milk. White chocolate is harder to melt, and only pouring the milk over the chopped white chocolate won’t get the job done.

You can make this into a dark chocolate souffle leaving out the orange zest. It tastes as good.

Finally, you can pour chocolate sauce over the chocolate souffle. To do so, make a small hole in the middle using a spoon, and pour the sauce inside.

For the chocolate sauce: chop 30 g of dark chocolate and pour 60 g of milk over it. Whisk until the chocolate has completely melted. Set aside. You can reheat in the microwave for 15 seconds before serving.