I am delighted to be featuring some recipes from wonderfully talented baker Henrietta Inman this month, including this gluten free souffle recipe.

Her delicious chocolate and chestnut ricotta souffle are fully gluten free and this gluten free souffle recipe can be found in Henrietta’s upcoming book, The Natural Baker. I was lucky enough to be given a sneak preview and there are tonnes of fabulous gluten free recipes in there (note not all the recipes in the book are gluten free, but she has a good number of gluten free recipes featured).

You can order The Natural Baker by Henrietta Inman now. The book is Published by Jacqui Small, an imprint of The Quarto Group and costs £20. In the meantime, enjoy this gluten free souffle recipe straight from the lovely lady herself.

Chocolate and Chestnut Ricotta Gluten Free Souffles (Makes 3 small gluten free souffles)

Chocolate and chestnut, like chocolate and orange, chocolate and mint and so many more bitter cocoa combinations, are meant to be together. Unlike a traditional sweet soufflé mix, which involves a pastry cream foundation, these have a velvety smooth ricotta base. This creates a gorgeously light souffléd mix that balances out the luscious bursting centre of rich, melting chocolate and marrons glacés. Serve with chestnut or vanilla ice cream and your guests will be silenced by satisfaction!

You can always leave out the marrons glacés, if you would prefer a plain chocolate gluten free soufflé; the recipe will still work just as well, though perhaps won’t be quite as festive.

Ingredients

  • soft unsalted butter, for the ramekins 15g (½oz / 1 tbsp) cocoa powder, plus 2 tsp for the ramekins
  • 45g (1¾oz / ¼ cup) light brown muscovado or coconut sugar, plus 2 tsp for the ramekins
  • 3 x 5g (⅛oz) lumps of 70–85% cocoa solids dark chocolate
  • 3 marrons glacés, halved
  • 135g (4¾oz / ⅔ cup) ricotta
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • golden icing (confectioners’) sugar, to dust (optional)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4 and place a baking tray (sheet) inside to heat up.
  2. Butter 3 ceramic ramekins using a pastry brush, brushing vertically up the sides of the ramekins, as if to help the soufflé rise up. Combine the extra teaspoons of cocoa powder and sugar and coat the bottom and sides of the ramekins with this, tapping out any excess. Set aside.
  3. Sandwich each piece or pieces of chocolate (if they’ve broken more) between 2 halves of a marron glacé.
  4. Fill an ovenproof and flameproof roasting tin (pan), large enough to fit all the ramekins in, with water 2–3cm (¾–1¼in) deep, and put over a medium-high heat until it comes to the boil.
  5. Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, cocoa powder and egg yolks. Separately whisk the egg whites until light and fluffy, then add the muscovado sugar  and whisk a little more until just combined. Fold the whisked whites carefully into the ricotta base. Divide the mix between the 3 ramekins. Push the chocolate-filled chestnuts into the centre of each and down to the bottom. Using a palette knife, or a regular knife, run over the top of each soufflé so it has a smooth top, then sweep around the edge of each ramekin with your thumb so that you can just see the rim.
  6. Turn the boiling water off under the roasting tin (pan), place the soufflés in it so that the water comes 2–3cm (¾–1¼in) up the sides of each ramekin, and place on the hot tray in the middle of the oven. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until risen with a slight wobble, and serve immediately, dusted with icing (confectioners’) sugar, if you like.

Thank you, Henrietta for sharing this glorious gluten free recipe!

Loved this recipe? Check out these other gluten free baking recipes: