Pumpkin Souffle

I've been trying multiple incarnations on the lemon yogurt souffle recipe that I posted in August. The recipe is rather tricky in some ways, but fairly flexible in others. The souffle part seems to hold up quite well with different ingredients, but the flavor hasn''t come through well in several of my experiments. The first was chocolate, and, while not bad, it wasn't strong enough. The second was pumpkin, and the first version didn't have yogurt cheese as an ingredient and it seemed too dry.

This version seemed to come out quite well. For me, the moistness of the souffle is a very important part of what makes it enjoyable. Making it both light and moist is tricky, but this version "had it all" including sufficiently present flavor elements. Clearly, the yogurt cheese is pretty integral to keeping these sugar-free souffles moist.

If you're looking for a substitute for heavy pumpkin pie desserts this Thanksgiving or Christmas, you might want to give this a try. It's delicious warm or cold, but I preferred mine warm and fresh.

Pumpkin Souffle (sugar-free, low-fat):

1/3 cup yogurt cheese (strained non-fat yogurt)
3 eggs, separated into whites and yolks in two separate bowls
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling!)
1 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
5 1/2 tbsp. granular Splenda
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
pinch salt

1. Lightly spray 5 small ramekins (3.5 in./9 cm. diameter) with cooking spray or use a larger souffle dish if desired. 
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F./190 degrees C.
3. Whisk the yogurt cheese, egg yolks, flour, 4 tbsp. Splenda (reserve 1 1/2 tbsp.), vanilla, pumpkin puree, spices, and salt in a large bowl until smooth.
4. Beat the egg whites at low speed until bubbles form. 
5. Add the cream of tartar and 1 1/2 tbsp. Splenda to the egg whites and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form.
6. Gently fold the egg whites into the yogurt mixture.
7. Spoon the mixture evenly into the prepared ramekins or souffle dish.
8. Bake for 14-16 minutes until the tops are lightly browned, the edges are set and the center is still a bit wobbly. If you overbake the center, it will be too dry.

Nutrition information courtesy of the SparkRecipes calculator:

Lemon Yogurt Souffle

This recipe was adapted from one that I found on Eating Well, Living Thin, a wonderful blog full of healthy recipes which I strongly recommend to those who are trying to enjoy food but reduce calories. My alterations were based in part on my limitations while living in Tokyo, where Greek yogurt is hard to come by and expensive, and my personal taste preferences for more lemon and vanilla.

The original looks lighter and more cake-like than mine. Mine has a heavier yogurt component and ends up richer and moister. When it cools, it is like a cheesecake/spongecake hybrid. Also, it will fall rather rapidly after coming out of the oven, but that doesn't impact the enjoyable experience of eating them! Frankly, I like mine best after they have been refrigerated and are cold and find it a bit too "eggy" when just hot out of the oven.

Lemon Yogurt Souffle (sugar-free)

1/2 cup yogurt cheese
1 1/2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 medium eggs, separated
4 tbsp. granular Splenda
1 tsp. vanilla
2-3 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
pinch salt
pinch cream of tartar

1. Lightly spray 4 small ramekins (3.5 in./9 cm. diameter) with cooking spray. 
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F./190 degrees C.
3. Whisk the yogurt cheese, egg yolks, flour, 3 tbsp. Splenda (reserve 1 tbsp.), vanilla, juice and salt in a large bowl until smooth.
4. Beat the egg whites at low speed until bubbles form. 
5. Add the cream of tartar and 1 tbsp. Splenda to the egg whites and beat at high speed until stiff peaks form.
6. Gently fold the egg whites into the yogurt mixture.
7. Spoon the mixture evenly into the 4 prepared ramekins.
8. Bake for 13-15 minutes until the tops are lightly browned.

Nutrition information courtesy of the SparkRecipes calculator: