Gordon Ramsay Raspberry Soufflé Recipe

Gordon Ramsay’s raspberry soufflé uses a fresh raspberry purée folded into pastry cream, with whisked egg whites for lift and a dark chocolate-lined ramekin. He calls it “the number one show-off dessert” on The F Word and bakes it at 190°C for 10–12 minutes until golden with crisp edges.

The recipe comes from his MasterClass (Teaches Cooking II), where he calls the techniques “the science of soufflé” and says that science has never failed him. He also demonstrates it twice on The F Word, making it the most-filmed soufflé in his career with over 1.4 million combined views across both videos.

The detail that separates his version from every other raspberry soufflé online is the pastry cream base. Most recipes just fold purée into egg whites, which gives you flavour but no body. Ramsay builds a thick pastry cream first, mixes the raspberry purée into that, and then folds in the whites. The cream holds the structure so the soufflé stays risen longer instead of collapsing the second it leaves the oven.

Gordon Ramsay Raspberry Soufflé

Recipe by Sophie LaneCourse: DessertCuisine: French, BritishDifficulty: Medium

Servings

4

soufflés

Prep time

40

minutes

Cooking time

12

minutes

Calories

280

kcal

Total time

55

minutes

From Gordon Ramsay’s MasterClass (Teaches Cooking II) and The F Word. Fresh raspberry purée in a pastry cream base with whisked egg whites, baked in chocolate-lined ramekins. Ramsay calls it the number one show-off dessert and the perfect way of showing off a dinner party.

Ingredients

• For the raspberry purée:

• 600g fresh or frozen raspberries

• 90g caster sugar

• 90ml water

• For the pastry cream:

• 500ml whole milk

• 3 large egg yolks (about 65g)

• 60g caster sugar

• 50g cornflour

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• For the soufflés:

• 100g raspberry purée (from above)

• 40g pastry cream (from above)

• 6 large egg whites (about 210g)

• 45g caster sugar

• Squeeze of lemon juice

• Softened butter for the ramekins

• Dark chocolate, finely shaved, for lining

• Icing sugar for dusting

Directions

• Make the purée: Put the raspberries, sugar, and water in a saucepan, cover and cook over a medium-low heat for 5–8 minutes until they break down. Remove the lid and reduce for another 5 minutes until syrupy. Blend until smooth, then push through a sieve to remove the seeds. Reserve 100g for the soufflé base and keep the rest warm for serving.
• Make the pastry cream: Heat the milk until it just starts to simmer. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour, and vanilla together. Slowly whisk in the hot milk a little at a time to temper the yolks, then pour back into the pan and whisk over a medium heat until thick and creamy. Cover with cling film pressed onto the surface and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Prep the ramekins: Brush four 180ml ramekins with softened butter in firm upward vertical strokes. Chill, then brush a second coat. Add shaved dark chocolate into each ramekin, roll to coat the inside evenly, and tap out the excess. Chill until needed.
• Mix the base: Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F)/170°C fan/Gas 5. Whisk 100g of the raspberry purée into 40g of the pastry cream until smooth.
• Whip the whites: Whisk the egg whites in a spotlessly clean, dry bowl. Once they start to foam, add a squeeze of lemon juice. When the volume has increased by two-thirds, gradually sprinkle in the sugar. Whisk to stiff, glossy peaks.
• Fold: Whisk one-third of the whites into the raspberry base to loosen it. Gently fold in the rest in two batches with a large metal spoon, keeping as much air as possible.
• Fill and clean: Fill the ramekins to the top. Tap lightly on the worktop, scrape the tops flat with a palette knife, then run your thumb around the inside edge to create a clean gap between the mixture and the rim.
• Bake: Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10–12 minutes until risen and golden with crisp edges. Dust with icing sugar. For a more dramatic finish, poke two holes in the centre with a small spoon and pour in the warm raspberry coulis. Serve immediately.

FAQs

Why does Ramsay use a pastry cream base instead of just purée?

Most raspberry soufflé recipes fold purée straight into whisked egg whites, which gives you colour and flavour but no structure. The soufflé rises, looks beautiful for about 30 seconds, then collapses because there’s nothing holding it up.

Ramsay’s pastry cream base acts like scaffolding. It’s thick enough to hold the air bubbles from the egg whites in place, so the soufflé stays risen longer and the centre stays creamy instead of hollow. This is what he means by “the science of soufflé,” because the pastry cream is the engineering behind the drama.

Why dark chocolate inside the ramekins instead of sugar?

Most soufflé recipes line the ramekins with sugar. Ramsay uses shaved dark chocolate instead, which does the same job of giving the batter something to grip as it climbs, but adds a thin layer of chocolate flavour that you taste with every bite from the outside in.

The chocolate also sets harder than sugar when it hits the hot oven, so it creates a firmer crust that helps the soufflé hold its shape after you pull it out.

What are the amaretti biscuits Ramsay puts at the bottom?

In The F Word video, Ramsay places marinated raspberries and crushed amaretti biscuits at the bottom of each ramekin before spooning in the soufflé mixture. The biscuits soak up the alcohol from the marinated raspberries and add a hidden layer of crunch and almond flavour underneath the soft soufflé.

This detail doesn’t appear in the MasterClass version, so it’s likely something he adds for the restaurant finish. If you want to try it, marinate a few raspberries in a tablespoon of framboise or amaretto, crush two amaretti biscuits per ramekin, and layer them in before adding the soufflé mixture on top.

Can you make any of this ahead?

Ramsay says the pastry cream can be refrigerated for up to three days and the buttered ramekins can be prepared and chilled for a few days before use. So the only thing you do on the night is whip the whites, fold, and bake.

He also suggests trying the same base with other fruit purées, and his passion fruit and banana soufflé from Sunday Lunch uses exactly this approach with tropical fruit instead. He pairs the raspberry version with an espresso martini made with Bacardi Oakheart and salted caramel.

Can you use strawberries instead of raspberries?

You can, but strawberries are sweeter and hold more water than raspberries, so the purée needs more work. Cook it down for an extra 5–7 minutes until it’s thick and jammy, and add a good squeeze of lemon juice to sharpen the flavour. Without that extra reduction the base is too wet and the soufflé won’t hold its structure.

If you want to skip the fruit entirely, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract to the pastry cream base instead for a plain vanilla soufflé. It’s the simplest version of Ramsay’s technique and a good place to start if you’ve never made a soufflé before.