Recipe
Snowball Dessert with Chocolate Mousse and Pomegranate Sorbet
This beautiful holiday dessert is a winter wonderland on a plate, featuring a stunning snowball made of chocolate sponge and chocolate mousse, topped with chocolate decorations and homemade pomegranate sorbet.
Difficulty: Advanced
Yield: 4 servingsUdstyr
- Half-dome silicone mold
- Food-safe acetate
- Quennelle mold (optional)
Ingredients
Pomegranate sorbet:
- 2 dl pomegranate juice (storebought or made with approx. 250-300 g (1.7-2 cups) pomegranate seeds from 2 pomegranates)
- 1/2 dl water
- 40 g blueberries (optional)
- 125 g sugar
- 1 dl water
Chocolate cake:
- 100 g butter (softened)
- 150 g sugar
- 2 eggs
- 60 g quality dark chocolate (55-70%)
- 100 g flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 dl milk
Chocolate mousse:
- 1/4 liter heavy cream
- 100 g quality dark chocolate (55-70%)
- 4 egg yolks (preferably pasteurized)
- 40 g sugar
To decorate:
- 100 g dark chocolate
- 4-5 graham crackers
- 250 g powdered sugar (approx.)
Instructions
Planning:
- Check out the recommended timeline and preparation instructions further up on the page.
Pomegranate sorbet:
- Start by cutting the pomegranates in half and gently tapping or prying out the seeds. Place the seeds and 1/2 dl water in a blender. Add the blueberries if you're using them—they add a lovely sweetness and a slightly deeper red color—and blend briefly to extract the juice.2 dl pomegranate juice, 1/2 dl water, 40 g blueberries
- Strain the pomegranate juice through a sieve so you’re left with just the pink liquid. Rinse and clean the blender, then pour the pomegranate juice back in, along with sugar and 1 dl water. Blend until you have a perfectly smooth, seed-free pink juice.125 g sugar, 1 dl water
- Freeze the sorbet using an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions for the best creamy result. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, you can pour the sorbet into a plastic container and stir occasionally while freezing for a semi-frozen result, or you can pour it directly into a quenelle mold for a more crystallized result. If you use an ice cream maker, you can transfer the sorbet into a quenelle mold after freezing or shape quenelles with two spoons and then re-freeze.
Chocolate decorations:
- Pipe abstract chocolate designs using tempered dark chocolate. You might want to check out my guide to tempering chocolate. Store the decorations in a plastic container in a cool, dark place (but not the fridge, that's too cold) until they’re needed.100 g dark chocolate
Chocolate sponges:
- Preheat your oven to 175 °C (347 °F). In a bowl, combine butter and sugar, and mix together with a stand mixer or hand mixer until the mixture is white. Add the eggs and mix until well combined.100 g butter, 150 g sugar, 2 eggs
- Roughly chop the dark chocolate and melt it in the microwave (remember to stir frequently to prevent burning) or over a double broiler. Stir the melted chocolate into the butter-sugar-egg mixture.60 g quality dark chocolate
- In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder together. Combine this dry mixture with the wet mixture, along with the milk, until you have a smooth chocolate sponge batter.100 g flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 1 dl milk
- Fill eight half-dome molds with the batter, leaving about 1/2 cm (1/4 inch) from the edge, and bake for 22-24 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Place the silicone molds on a cooling rack and let the cakes cool completely before popping them out of the molds. Once cooled, wrap the cakes in plastic film or a freezer bag until you’re ready to use them.
Chocolate mousse:
- Whip the heavy cream to soft peaks and chill it in the fridge.1/4 liter heavy cream
- Roughly chop the chocolate and melt two-thirds of it in the microwave (stirring often to prevent burning) or over a double broiler. Add the remaining third and stir until the chocolate is fully melted.100 g quality dark chocolate
- Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together using a hand mixer. Stir the melted chocolate into the egg mixture. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg-chocolate mixture until the chocolate is evenly distributed.4 egg yolks, 40 g sugar
- Transfer the chocolate mousse to a piping bag.
- Place a chocolate sponge half-dome bottom side up. Enclose it with acetate and secure with tape. Repeat this process with three more half-domes. Pipe mousse onto each of the four half-domes to about 1 cm (3/8 inch) high. Place another half-dome on top, bottom side down, to create a "burger" of chocolate sponge and mousse. Press gently down to ensure the mousse reaches the edges.
- Refrigerate the chocolate snowballs for at least 4 hours, or until the mousse is set.
To decorate and serve:
- Place graham crackers in a freezer bag and crush them with a rolling pin to make coarse crumbs. Arrange a layer of crumbs on four dessert plates and make a well in the center.4-5 graham crackers
- Remove the cakes from the fridge and carefully remove the acetate. Sift powdered sugar over the cakes, holding them by the top and bottom. Place the snowballs carefully in the well on each plate without touching the sides. If there is any powdered sugar on the plate, brush it off.250 g powdered sugar
- Gently place the chocolate decoration on top of the snowballs. Finally, place quenelles of pomegranate sorbet on top of the chocolate decorations and serve immediately.
Notes
See step-by-step photos below this recipe.