A SoufflÃ is a light fluffy food , made from egg whites . A soufflÃ is a light baked cake made with egg yolks and beaten egg whites combined with various other ingredients and served as a savoury main dish or sweetened as a dessert . The word soufflÃ is the past participle of the French verb souffler which means `` to blow up '' or more loosely `` puff up '' -- an apt description of what happens to this combination of custard and egg whites .