Chocolate Souffle

1. Heat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7 and place a baking tray on the top shelf. For the sauce, heat the cream and sugar until boiling, then take off the heat and stir in the chocolate and butter until melted. Keep it warm.
2. Brush 6 x 150ml ramekins with melted butter, sprinkle with the 2 tbsp caster sugar, and tip out the excess. Melt the chocolate and cream in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, let it cool, then mix in the egg yolks. Whisk the egg whites until they hold their shape, add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, whisking back to the same consistency. Stir a spoonful into the chocolate to loosen it, then fold in the rest gently.
3. Working quickly, fill the ramekins, wipe the rims clean, and run your thumb around each edge. Turn the oven down to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6, set the ramekins on the hot tray, and bake for 8 to 10 minutes until risen with a slight wobble. Keep the door shut so they don't collapse.
4. Dust with icing sugar, scoop a small hole from the top of each, pour in some hot chocolate sauce, replace the lids, and serve at once.

Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen

• Butter the ramekins generously and coat them in caster sugar; this gives the mixture something to grip as it climbs the sides.
• Whisk the egg whites to firm, glossy peaks, since that trapped air is what lifts the soufflé.
• When folding the whites into the chocolate, work gently with a metal spoon so you keep as much air as possible.
• Resist opening the oven door before the time is up, or the soufflés can sink.