Gordon Ramsay’s chocolate soufflé recipe starts with a proper pastry cream base and a separate dark chocolate ganache before the egg whites even come out, which is the part every quick version online skips. Six whisked egg whites folded into 70% dark chocolate, baked at 190°C (375°F) for 15 to 17 minutes until risen by two thirds with a molten centre.
Ramsay does not do shortcuts with this one, and I learned why the hard way. The pastry cream gives the soufflé structure while the ganache gives it that deep chocolate centre, and together they make something closer to what you get at a restaurant than anything I have pulled off with a simpler recipe.
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Why This Soufflé Needs a Pastry Cream Base
Most recipes tell you to melt chocolate and butter, whisk in yolks, fold in whites, done. That gives you something closer to a chocolate fondant than a soufflé, and Ramsay clearly wants the two to be different things.
His version builds a crème pâtissière, which is just a cooked pastry cream, from plain flour (all-purpose flour), cornflour (cornstarch), eggs, milk, and double cream (heavy cream). It holds moisture, so the soufflé rises evenly and does not collapse the second it hits air. I made it without the pastry cream once and the whole thing deflated before I got it to the table.
What the Ganache Actually Does
On top of the pastry cream, Gordon folds in a ganache made from warmed double cream (heavy cream), dark chocolate, and cocoa powder. I thought this was overkill until I tasted the version without it.
Without the ganache the soufflé rises fine but tastes thin, almost like a chocolate sponge. With it, you get that intense hit the moment you crack the top. I make both components the night before now, which means the actual assembly takes about ten minutes.
Chocolate Soufflé Ingredients
- 25g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened, for greasing
- Finely grated dark chocolate for lining ramekins
- 2 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
- 2 tsp caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- ½ tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 1 medium egg yolk
- 1 medium whole egg
- 60ml (¼ cup) whole milk
- 15ml (1 tbsp) double cream (heavy cream)
- 25g (1 oz) dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder
- 6 medium egg whites
- 85g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
- 60ml (¼ cup) double cream (heavy cream) for ganache
- 50g (2 oz) dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, for ganache
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder for ganache
- Single cream (light cream) or vanilla ice cream to serve
How To Make Gordon Ramsay Chocolate Soufflé
- Prepare the ramekins: Brush four 200ml soufflé dishes with softened butter using upward strokes, chill for 5 minutes, then apply a second coat and line each dish with grated chocolate.
- Make the pastry cream: Mix the plain flour, caster sugar, and cornflour. Beat the egg yolk and whole egg into the flour mixture in two additions until smooth.
- Heat the chocolate milk: Bring the milk and 15ml double cream just to the boil, take off the heat, add the 25g dark chocolate and beat until melted and smooth.
- Cook the custard base: Stir the hot chocolate milk into the egg paste, return to the pan, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until thick. Leave to cool, whisking occasionally.
- Make the ganache: Warm the 60ml double cream until almost boiling, take off the heat, add the 50g dark chocolate, beat smooth, then sprinkle in the cocoa powder and cool.
- Whisk the egg whites: Heat the oven to 190°C (375°F) fan 170°C. Beat the 6 egg whites to soft peaks, gradually add the 85g caster sugar, and whisk to stiff glossy peaks.
- Combine and fold: Mix the pastry cream and ganache, stir in 2 tablespoons of egg white to loosen, then fold in the remaining whites in three additions.
- Fill the ramekins: Spoon mixture in three quarters full, press to fill gaps, fill to the top, bang on the surface, and level flat with a palette knife.
- Score and bake: Run your finger around the rim to create a channel, sprinkle grated chocolate in the centre, and bake 15 to 17 minutes without opening the door.
- Serve immediately: The soufflés should have risen by two thirds and jiggle when moved. Make a dip in the centre and pour in single cream or add ice cream.
Can I Prep This Ahead for a Dinner Party
This is the part that changed everything for me. You can make the pastry cream and ganache up to 24 hours ahead, store them separately in the fridge, and do the folding and baking after the main course.
What you cannot do is fill the ramekins and let them sit. I tried holding them for an hour once and the rise was noticeably shorter. Thirty minutes in the fridge is the maximum I would risk.
Why Did My Soufflé Collapse
Three things have caused mine to fall: opening the oven, over-folding the whites, and patchy butter on the ramekins. The double butter coat with grated chocolate is not decoration, it is what the soufflé grips as it climbs.
Ramsay folds in stages for a reason. I used to stir it like cake batter and always got a dense result. Cutting through with a spatula, turning the bowl, keeping the movement gentle, that is what fixed it for me.
What Chocolate Should I Use
Gordon specifies 70% cocoa solids and I would not go lower. I tried 55% and the soufflé tasted sweet but flat, almost like a warm chocolate mousse instead of something with real depth.
Do not use chocolate chips either, they have stabilisers that stop them melting cleanly. A chopped block of good dark chocolate takes two extra minutes and the difference is obvious in both the pastry cream and the ganache.
What To Serve With Chocolate Soufflé
A jug of cold single cream (light cream) and nothing else is how Gordon serves it, and I agree. The contrast of cold cream hitting the hot molten centre is the whole point. If you want more, a scoop of vanilla ice cream works the same way.
I have also made these alongside a passion fruit soufflé for contrast at a dinner party and it looked brilliant. A chocolate cake on the side table is good insurance, and for anyone who already loves a cheese soufflé, this is the sweet version worth trying.
How To Store Chocolate Soufflé
Honestly, you do not store soufflé. It deflates within minutes and that is just what it does. If there is any left, cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Cold soufflé turns into something like a dense chocolate mousse, which is not bad eaten straight from the fridge. Reheating does not work because the whites will not re-inflate, so eat it cold or accept the loss.
FAQs
- Do I need a water bath? No. Ramsay uses dry heat only. I tried a water bath once and the base went soggy, this is not a custard or cheesecake.
- Can I use cocoa powder instead of chocolate? Not as a swap. Cocoa lacks the fat that gives the pastry cream and ganache their body. Gordon uses both because they do different jobs.
- What size ramekin works? Ramsay uses 200ml dishes. I have used 180ml with a shorter bake of 13 to 14 minutes, but anything over 250ml risks a raw centre.
- Why butter the ramekins twice? First coat holds the chocolate lining, second coat after chilling stops the batter sticking. I skipped the second coat once and two soufflés rose lopsided.
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Nutrition Facts
(Per serving, serves 4)
- Calories: 380 kcal
- Total Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Carbohydrates: 34g
- Sugar: 28g
- Fibre: 2g
- Protein: 12g
- Sodium: 95mg
Gordon Ramsay Chocolate Soufflé Recipe
4
servings30
minutes17
minutes47
minutesGordon Ramsay’s chocolate soufflé recipe starts with a proper pastry cream base and a separate dark chocolate ganache before the egg whites even come out, which is the part every quick version online skips. Six whisked egg whites folded into 70% dark chocolate, baked at 190°C (375°F) for 15 to 17 minutes until risen by two thirds with a molten centre.
Ramsay does not do shortcuts with this one, and I learned why the hard way. The pastry cream gives the soufflé structure while the ganache gives it that deep chocolate centre, and together they make something closer to what you get at a restaurant than anything I have pulled off with a simpler recipe.
Ingredients
25g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened, for greasing
Finely grated dark chocolate for lining ramekins
2 tbsp plain flour (all-purpose flour)
2 tsp caster sugar (superfine sugar)
½ tsp cornflour (cornstarch)
1 medium egg yolk
1 medium whole egg
60ml (¼ cup) whole milk
15ml (1 tbsp) double cream (heavy cream)
25g (1 oz) dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
1 tbsp cocoa powder
6 medium egg whites
85g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) caster sugar (superfine sugar)
60ml (¼ cup) double cream (heavy cream) for ganache
50g (2 oz) dark chocolate, 70% cocoa solids, for ganache
1 tbsp cocoa powder for ganache
Single cream (light cream) or vanilla ice cream to serve
Directions
- Prepare the ramekins: Brush four 200ml soufflé dishes with softened butter using upward strokes, chill for 5 minutes, then apply a second coat and line each dish with grated chocolate.
- Make the pastry cream: Mix the plain flour, caster sugar, and cornflour. Beat the egg yolk and whole egg into the flour mixture in two additions until smooth.
- Heat the chocolate milk: Bring the milk and 15ml double cream just to the boil, take off the heat, add the 25g dark chocolate and beat until melted and smooth.
- Cook the custard base: Stir the hot chocolate milk into the egg paste, return to the pan, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until thick. Leave to cool, whisking occasionally.
- Make the ganache: Warm the 60ml double cream until almost boiling, take off the heat, add the 50g dark chocolate, beat smooth, then sprinkle in the cocoa powder and cool.
- Whisk the egg whites: Heat oven to 190°C (375°F) fan 170°C. Beat 6 egg whites to soft peaks, gradually add 85g caster sugar, and whisk to stiff glossy peaks.
- Combine and fold: Mix the pastry cream and ganache, stir in 2 tablespoons of egg white to loosen, then fold in the remaining whites in three additions.
- Fill the ramekins: Spoon mixture in three quarters full, press to fill gaps, fill to the top, bang on the surface, and level flat with a palette knife.
- Score and bake: Run your finger around the rim to create a channel, sprinkle grated chocolate in the centre, and bake 15 to 17 minutes without opening the door.
- Serve immediately: The soufflés should have risen by two thirds and jiggle when moved. Make a dip in the centre and pour in single cream or add ice cream.
