When we think of omelettes, most of us probably imagine a savory breakfast. But what about a sweet omelette? This rich and decadent Japanese chocolate omelette recipe is a quick way to start or end your day with a touch of indulgence.
With a luscious filling of melted dark chocolate oozing out from a fluffy and delicate bittersweet chocolate wrapper, this recipe is a testament to the power of simplicity. It requires only a handful of ingredients and less than 10 minutes of your time, but the result is a luxurious dessert that will make you feel like you're dining in a Michelin-starred restaurant. So, whether you're looking to impress your guests at a fancy brunch or simply treat yourself to a moment of indulgence, I guarantee this chocolate omelette recipe will deliver.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works?
- A trio of chocolate in the form of a fluffy, mildly bitter wrapper, a sweet molten center, and a crunchy topping of cacao nibs provide a stimulating balance of chocolatey textures and tastes.
- Steaming the omelette gives it a delicate moist texture, like a really good chocolate cake.
- Folding the omelette over the pieces of dark chocolate contains it as it melts, so you end up with a molten center that oozes out like a lava cake.
Ingredients
- Sugar - My recipe relies mostly on the filling for the sweetness, but having a little sugar in the batter helps bring all the elements together. I used evaporated cane sugar for the flavor, but you could use other types of sugars to suit your tastes.
- Cocoa powder - This is the most important ingredient in terms of flavor, and I recommend using high-quality Dutch-processed cocoa powder. The Dutching process raises the pH of the cocoa powder giving it a dark brown color and intensifying the chocolate flavor. It's a little spendy, but I like using Valrhona's cocoa powder because it makes such a huge difference in the taste of the chocolate recipes I use it in.
- Egg - We need eggs to make an omelette, and this one uses one large egg (about 60 grams with the shell).
- Cream - Adding cream to the egg ensures it stays soft and moist. I used 45% butterfat cream (a.k.a. heavy cream).
- Vanilla - Vanilla makes almost any sweet treat taste better, and this dessert omelette is no exception.
- Cacao nibs - Cacao nibs are just crushed roasted cacao beans. If you were to run them through a melanger with sugar, they could be turned into chocolate. They have a marvelous crispy texture and mildly bitter chocolate flavor that contrast the dense, sweet omelette, and I like to use it as a garnish.
- Butter - because there's no salt in the batter, I recommend frying it in salted butter, but unsalted will work as well. If you can find it, cultured butter is always more flavorful than sweet butter.
- Filling - I used Valrhona Caraïbe 66% feves for this, but this sweet omelette with a wide variety of ingredients, including peanut butter, marshmallows, berries or sliced bananas. I also love using my chewy hot fudge or Chocolate Sesame Spead.
How to Make a Japanese Chocolate Omelette
Start by adding the sugar to a medium-sized bowl and then sift the cocoa powder through a fine mesh sieve (like a tea strainer). It's a little extra work, but it makes it a lot easier to get a smooth batter.
Add the cream, eggs, and vanilla extract to the bowl with the sugar and cocoa powder, and then use a whisk to beat the sweet omelette batter until smooth and free of lumps.
Add the cacao nibs to an 8-inch nonstick omelette pan over medium heat and constantly stir to ensure they toast evenly. When the nibs are dark brown and fragrant, transfer them to a bowl to cool.
Put the frying pan back on the stove and reduce the heat as low as it will go. Add the butter to the pan and swirl it around to give it a uniform coating. Pour in all of the egg mixture and then cover the skillet with a lid. Let the omelette steam for two minutes.
When the timer is up, remove the lid and place the dark chocolate pieces on the left half of the omelette. Be sure to leave some space around the edges, so the chocolate doesn't melt out the sides.
Use a spatula to flip the right half of the egg over the left half. Cover the pan with a lid and steam the chocolate omelette for two minutes or until the egg is cooked.
When it's done, slide the dessert omelette onto a dish and then garnish with whipped cream and the toasted cacao nibs. This sweet omelet is also fantastic topped with raspberries, blueberries, strawberries or dusted with cinnamon.
Other Chocolate Recipes
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons evaporated cane sugar (23 grams)
- 7 grams cocoa powder (1 tablespoon)
- 1 large egg (~60 grams)
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream (14 grams)
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cacao nibs (3 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salted cultured butter
- 23 grams dark chocolate
Instructions
- Add the sugar to a mixing bowl and then sift in the cocoa powder.
- Add the cream, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk the mixture until smooth.
- Heat an 8-inch non-stick omelette pan over medium heat and add the cacao nibs. Toast them constantly, stirring until the nibs are chocolate brown and fragrant. Transfer them to a bowl and set aside.
- Turn down the heat to low and add the butter. Swirl it around the pan to coat.
- Pour the chocolate omelette batter into the pan and cover it with a lid. Let the egg cook for 2 minutes.
- Remove the lid and arrange the chocolate around half of the sweet omelette, leaving a border around the edges.
- Flip the side without the chocolate to fold the omelette in half. Cover the pan with the lid again and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Serve your molten chocolate omelette with whipped cream and toasted cacao nibs.
Dave S says
One and one third TABLESPOONS of vanilla sounds extreme. Shouldn't it be 1/4 teaspoon, not 4 teaspoons?
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Dave, sorry about that it was a typo. Should be 1/4 teaspoon.
Kathy Stroup says
Wow! This thing is dangerously easy. And outrageously chocolatey! I cut the sugar to 1 tablespoon and my husband commented that it tasted even richer. We topped ours with a smidge of vanilla ice cream. The contrast of temperatures and textures was very satisfying! It's perfect for quelling that random craving, or treating you loved one. Young men out there, learn this recipe!
Alicia says
The recipe is so easy that I wanted to try it right away as I had most of the ingredients (not nibs). Such a good move! It's actually quite versatile if you have food restrictions. It's gluten-free, so it's good for my household. We're also dairy-free so I just used canned coconut milk instead of heavy cream for the actual omelette, and macadamia nut oil instead of butter. I know I could use coconut oil too. And I don't have a non-stick pan either. Haha. It still came out beautifully and even my kid loves it. So I made another one this morning with strawberries on the side. I also love the fact that it's a single serving, good for when a sweet craving hits but you don't have to make a big batch of something that is going to be in your face. And the egg (protein) was extremely satisfying, too. I hope you remind everyone about this recipe every Valentine's Day! Total winner.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Alicia, so happy to hear you enjoyed this, and good call on the substitutes! It's definitely a flexible form factor. I made this about a dozen times getting the recipe right, and I tried it a bunch of ways, including with peanut butter, with berries, with cinnamon and chili pepper, and with bananas.