Sunday, September 6, 2009

SMS: Fallen Chocolate Souffle Cake


This week’s Sweet Melissa Sunday treat was Fallen Chocolate Souffle Cake, which happens to be the “cover cake” of the book. It seems like it had been a while since the Sweet Melissa group made a fancy dessert and the photo is wonderful, so I was enthusiastic about this selection (even with a second chocolate soufflé looming around the corner for Tuesdays With Dorie). With the second soufflé in mind, I tried to actually get my act together ahead of time and make this last Sunday, but then I realized I had forgotten to buy an orange (for the zest) and Grand Marnier, so it got shelved until Friday afternoon (yay for an early-start holiday weekend). I kept vacillating on which size to make; it seemed most practical for me to quarter the recipe, but then I read on the Problems and Questions section of the SM site that this was not a great one to reduce. However, another baker had success with minis, so I decided to go ahead and make two in my four-inch springform pans.



I think I might have overbaked my soufflés just a little bit (about twenty-two minutes), nonetheless the flavor was divine; the essence of orange from the Grand Marnier complemented the fruity chocolate I used, Scharffen Berger 62%, very nicely. In addition to this dessert being simple to make and delicious to eat, it was also fun watching the soufflés fall as I photographed them; all around a very positive baking experience. This recipe received a 9 for Deliciousness and a 2.5 for Effort, giving it an EDR of 3.6. Many thanks to Sarah of Blue Ridge Baker for choosing this splendid dessert. You can find the recipe HERE on Sarah’s lovely blog (she makes so many scrumptious-looking treats, often with creative substitutions for cane sugar) and see how the recipe fell for the rest of the bakers via the SMS blogroll. The ice cream on top is the Cacao Nib Gelato from the post below this one.

14 comments:

JoAnn Freda said...

Wow! What a wonderful combination - fresh berries, that yummy sounding ice cream and the Scharfenberger chocolate souffle cake. This looks like something you'd get in a very fancy restaurant.

Nina said...

This is amazing looking! Love the fresh berries and ice cream!
<3

Unknown said...

Great job Margot! Your souffles look terrific, especially with those gorgeous, fresh berries. I really wanted raspberries but strawberries were on sale, so they made the cut :) Glad you liked the recipe so much. I think perhaps I'm just not a souffle person.

Stephanie said...

What cute little plates you have this on!

Mrs. G said...

Your mini version looks yummy. Great presentation.

Sarah said...

Yea! I'm so glad you loved this one. I really wanted to love it, it just didn't do it for me. Thanks so much for baking with me this week, especially because of the double souffle week. Your cake looks amazing. Oh, and the cacao nib ice cream? Fantastic.

k.a.r.e.n said...

Yours looks divine! Great photos.

Megan said...

I wish I had been able to make any souffle this week - but the computer gods were against me! I'll have to bookmark this recipe, as I love anything chocolate - and I've never made a fallen souffle before.

vibi said...

Nice save Margot! It could even pass for a Chocolate Pavlova!

I bet it was great eventhough...

Jeannette said...

your souffle looks absolutely perfect!! i'm so glad you liked them! next time i'll make a run for that orange and grand mariner... maybe that's why the flavor was a bit off-putting to me.

AmyRuth said...

I love that these little souffle bake-off's have gathered themselves all together making all sorts of mini souffles. So cool. Hmm wonder which fallen cake or souffle is better. Guess I'll have to try them out and see. I do love the dish you have yours on. The last photo. very nice.
AmyRuth

spike. said...

That ice cream sounds perfect for this cake! beautiful

Karin said...

Your mini cakes look delicious and glad you enjoyed them. I liked them better after the cake sat for a day in the fridge. But I love cold chocolate cake...

Claire Mercado-Obias said...

This is pretty!