Date Soufflé

Name: Date Soufflé (Soufflé Balah)
Cuisine: Egyptian
Ingredients: 1 tbsp melted butter, for greasing; 250 g (9 oz) pitted Medjool dates; 150 ml (5 fl oz/½ cup plus 2 tbsp) milk; 20 g (2 tbsp) caster sugar, plus extra for dusting; 2 pinches of salt; 150 ml (5 fl oz/½ cup plus 2 tbsp) double (heavy) cream; 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch); 1 tsp cornflour (cornstarch); 5 egg whites; 3 egg yolks; icing (confectioners’) sugar, for dusting

Soufflé Balah

Preparation info

Makes
6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Egypt

By Suzanne Zeidy and Rawah Badrawi

Published 2026

About

This souffle is a stand-out, signature item on the menu at the Adrére Amellal ecolodge in Siwa, where the delightfully sweet, soft dates of the oasis are reimagined in the classic 18th-century French dessert.

Ingredients

1 tbsp melted butter, for greasing
250 g (9 oz) pitted Medjool dates

Africa
Egypt
Siwa Oasis
Dessert
Vegetarian
Gluten-free
Mediterranean

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F, Gas 4). Brush six ramekins (200ml/7fl oz capacity and 8-10cm/3¼-4in diameter) with melted butter and dust with caster sugar to coat.

Halve the dates and place in a small pan. Add the milk, half of the sugar and a pinch of salt and place over lo