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Make-Ahead Chocolate Soufflé

Make-Ahead Chocolate Soufflé

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Make chocolate soufflés up to 48 hours in advance, refrigerate upside down, then bake them fresh. They rise perfectly every time.

Serves

4

Prep

15 to 20 mins

Cook

20 mins

Ingredients

Softened butter, as needed
110g granulated sugar, plus more for ramekins
150g dark chocolate (70%)
300g egg whites
2g cream of tartar (about ¼ tsp)
10g xanthan-sugar blend (see below)
For the xanthan-sugar blend (make extra):
3g xanthan gum
97g Sugar
Whisk together until evenly distributed. You’ll use 10g of this blend in the recipe (yielding a 0.1% xanthan concentration relative to egg whites). Store the rest in an airtight container for future batches.

Steps

1
Melt chocolate: Melt chocolate in a large bowl over simmering water. The bowl needs to be large enough to fold in the meringue later. Set aside.
2
Preheat oven: 375 °F (190 °C), convection off.
3
Prep ramekins: Butter four 6-ounce (180ml) ramekins with vertical brush strokes. Coat generously with sugar, tapping and rotating to cover the sides and lip.
4
Make Swiss meringue: Combine egg whites, sugar, xanthan-sugar blend, and cream of tartar in a stand mixer bowl. Set over the steaming water and whisk to 130 °F (54 °C). Transfer to the stand mixer and whip on high to soft peaks. Better to underwhip than overwhip.
5
Fold meringue into chocolate: Fold half the meringue into the chocolate, then gently fold in the rest. Fill ramekins to about 1 cm below the rim. Knock on the counter to level.
6
Refrigerate and flip: Refrigerate 5 minutes, then invert ramekins onto a sheet tray. Refrigerate for up to 48 hours.
7
Bake & serve: Flip right side up from the fridge into the preheated oven. Bake approximately 20 minutes—soufflés should nearly double the ramekin height. I aim for a core temp of 203 °F (95 °C). If cracks split open on the top or sides, pull immediately. Serve right away; they begin collapsing immediately and fully deflate in about 10 minutes.