Dessert Soufflés

Appears in
Professional Cooking: 10th Edition
Professional Cooking

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2025

  • About
Soufflés are lightened with beaten egg whites, then baked. Baking causes the soufflé to rise like a cake because the air in the egg foam expands when heated.
To understand the structure of dessert soufflés, we can divide their preparation into four stages:
  1. Base.

    Many kinds are used for dessert soufflés. Most are heavy, starch-thickened preparations, such as pastry cream or sweetened white sauce.

  2. Egg yolks.

    When used, these are added to the base.

  3. Egg whites.

    Whenever possible, egg whites should be whipped with some of the sugar. This makes dessert soufflés more stable than entrée soufflés.

  4. Baking.

    Review the section on entrée soufflés so you understand the general principles of baking soufflés.