Raspberry Sorbet and Frozen Chocolate Mousse Domes
Today I am posting the best easy dessert to impress your valentine! Or to impress yourself and feel like you just nailed the confection round of Sugar Rush. Yes, I did use the word ‘easy!’ These Raspberry Sorbet and Frozen Chocolate Mousse Domes look fancy schmancy, but it’s really a few simple steps and the magic of silicone demi sphere molds. The dessert is the perfect balance of creamy, crunchy, decadent and tart. If you didn’t want to use molds you could make a deconstructed version that I’ll get into at the bottom of the post.
Ok, step one: spoon raspberry sorbet into the small mold and freeze until firm. Yep, that’s it! Step two: melt some ruby chocolate in the microwave then spoon it into the bigger mold and use your finger to spread it all around. Have you had ruby chocolate yet? It’s slightly fruity and so yummy! Plus it’s naturally a pretty pink color – perfect for Valentine’s Day! Trader Joe’s sells bags of it and a bunch of chocolate brands, like Chocolove, sell bars of it you could melt. Otherwise just use your favorite type of chocolate for the outside shell, but I highly recommend using ruby chocolate for this.
Step three: make the two ingredient chocolate mousse. I love this mousse recipe! Heat some heavy cream in the microwave then stir in chocolate chips until melted. While it’s cooling, beat some more heavy cream until stiff peaks form and gently fold into the chocolate mixture. See! Easy! Step four: assembly! Spoon the mousse into the ruby chocolate covered mold leaving a little room in the center to press in the raspberry sorbet half sphere. Smooth it out then pop in the freezer until you’re ready to serve.
Now initially I was planning on sharing this recipe and saying that the hazelnut crunch candy was an optional bonus, but after eating the finished dessert I want to stress to you that you need to make it! It adds the best textural crunch and flavor component, plus it’s also easy so why not?! Let water and sugar cook on your stovetop for eight minutes then pour over chopped toasted hazelnuts and let harden. Done!
Now if you’re interested in the silicone molds I have this bigger one and I just got this smaller one. I love using the bigger one to make mousse and ice cream desserts look fancy for when we have friends and family over for dinner. If you don’t want to experiment with the molds you could totally still make this dessert and just serve the mousse straight from the fridge instead of frozen in individual dishes with the hazelnut crunch candy and a small scoop of raspberry sorbet on top. I might even need to make the mousse with the candy its own post. Okay, I really hope you all try this one so you can feel all chefy and proud of yourselves! Let me know if you do try it!
- 6 tablespoons raspberry sorbet
- ¼ cup ruby chocolate wafers, or 1½ ounces of ruby chocolate broken into pieces
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil or vegetable oil
- 1½ cups heavy cream, divided
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (I recommend Ghiradelli, Guittard or Trader Joe’s)
- ⅔ cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (see note)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup water
- Let the raspberry sorbet soften slightly then spoon into 6 cavities of the smaller mold (each cavity should hold about 1 tablespoon). Press into the mold then smooth with an offset spatula or the straight back of a knife. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until firm, at least 2½ hours. Tip: placing the silicone molds on small baking sheets makes it easier to move.
- Place the ruby chocolate and coconut oil (or vegetable oil) in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, then continue to microwave in 15 second increments, stirring after each increment, until melted. Spoon a bit into one of the cavities of the larger mold. Use your finger to spread the chocolate and completely coat the inside of the demi sphere. It should be thick enough that you can’t see the silicone through, but not too thick. Repeat for 5 more cavities. Place in the fridge to firm up for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat ½ cup of the heavy cream in a large microwave safe mixing bowl for 45 seconds to 1 minute. Add the chocolate chips then stir. Let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk the mixture together until smooth then let cool. While the chocolate mixture is cooling, whip the remaining 1 cup of the cream. Using a mixture, whip the cold cream on medium speed, slowly increasing to medium high. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form, which means when you lift up the beater the peaks of the cream stay exactly in place. Tip: whip in a metal bowl and place both the bowl and the whisk in the freezer 5-10 minutes before whipping the cream. Gently fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture in 3 additions. It’s okay if there’s still some streaks. If you’re ready to assemble the mousse domes move to the next step, otherwise cover and place in the fridge until ready to use.
- Spoon the chocolate mousse into the ruby chocolate coated mold. Fill all the way to the top, leaving a bit of space in the center for the raspberry sorbet. One at a time, gently pop the raspberry sorbet out of the silicone mold and press into the center of the chocolate mousse, flat side facing up. It’s okay if the sorbet doesn’t pop out in a perfect demi sphere. Smooth the top with an offset spatula or the straight back of a knife. Place in the freezer until firm; I usually leave in overnight.
- To make the hazelnut crunch candy, place the chopped hazelnuts on a parchment lined baking sheet close together. Add the sugar and water to a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Once the sugar dissolves, stop stirring. Let come to a boil then cook until it reaches a light brown color, about 6-8 minutes. Remove from the heat and wait until it stops bubbling then pour over the chopped hazelnuts. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes then break the candy in pieces. Store at room temperature in an airtight container until ready to serve. When ready to serve the mousse domes, carefully pop them out of the silicone mold. Alternatively, you could pop them out of the molds ahead of time and just keep them in the freezer on a lined baking sheet covered in plastic wrap until ready to serve.
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02.11.20 @ 3:52 am
this looks so fabulous. i love ruby chocolate; that fruity taste in your mouth … impressive dessert.
08.24.20 @ 3:46 pm
Thank you, Sherry! I was very proud of this one
I love ruby chocolate, too!