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White Chocolate Raspberry Mousse Domes on Pistachio Sponge

Elegant and dreamy, these festive dessert domes layer soft textures and bright flavors into the perfect holiday bite. A light, velvety white-chocolate mousse surrounds a jewel-like raspberry filling, all set atop a tender pistachio sponge. Each dome is finished with a glossy white-chocolate mirror glaze and rolled in crushed hazelnuts for a delicate, nutty crunch. A beautiful centerpiece for any Christmas tea or winter gathering—refined, romantic, and unforgettable.
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Ingredients
  

Pistachio Sponge (Makes ~24 Discs):

  • 200 g (14 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
  • 200 g (14 Tbsp) caster sugar
  • 4 large eggs
  • 200 g (2 cups) ground unsalted pistachios
  • 120 g (1 cup) (spooned and leveled) all purpose flour

White Chocolate Mousse (Makes 20+ Domes):

  • 200 ml milk
  • 400 g white chocolate
  • 6 sheets of silver grade gelatin I use these: https://amzn.to/4aKtGfp
  • 500 ml 2 cups heavy whipping cream (1 cup)

Raspberry Filling (makes 25+):

  • 1.5 Tablespoons 22ml water
  • 1.5 Tablespoons 4.5 teaspoons or 12g cornstarch
  • 3 cups 12 ounces/about 340–375g fresh or frozen raspberries (do not thaw)*
  • 1/3 cup 67g granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Red White Chocolate Mirror Glaze:

  • 5 sheets of gelatine 10g
  • 150 g liquid glucose ⅓cup
  • 150 g sugar ¾cup
  • 70 ml water
  • 100 g condensed milk ⅓cup
  • 150 g white chocolate chopped
  • Red or other gel food coloring
  • 2 cups roasted unsalted hazelnuts, finely chopped or ground for decorating the base

Instructions
 

Raspberry Filling (Make ahead to freeze fully before moving on to white chocolate mousse)

  • Whisk the cornstarch and water together until all the cornstarch has dissolved. Combine cornstarch mixture, raspberries, granulated sugar, and lemon juice in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Stir the mixture, mashing the raspberries as they begin to thaw and soften.
  • Bring to a boil and let it boil for 5 full minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
  • Allow the raspberry filling to cool at room temperature for 15 minutes.
  • Set your small dome molds (I use these: https://amzn.to/44oo2f8) on a baking sheet for stability. Pour filling into small domes molds, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and set in your freezer to freeze fully before making your mousse.

Make Pistachio Sponge

  • To make the pistachio sponge, preheat the oven to 325°F (~163°C) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition.
  • Combine your ground pistachios and flour, then fold into the creamed mixture with a flexible spatula. Divide your mixture in half.
  • Use your spatula to spread each half evenly onto a baking sheet, making a rectangle about 10"x11". Bake for about 12 minutes, or until set. Watch carefully, as these are thin and will bake very differently in different ovens.
  • As soon as you remove the tray from the oven, use a 2 3/4" (~7cm) round cutter to cut out rounds of sponge. Leave the rounds to cool on the tray for 10 minutes before placing onto a cooling rack. Once cooled completely, these can be stored in an airtight container (room temp or frozen) between layers of parchment. (I like to freeze them until I am ready to use them).

White Chocolate Mousse Domes

  • Cover your gelatin sheets with water in a bowl, and soak for 5 minutes, till they are soft.
  • Add the milk and white chocolate to a saucepan, and heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until fully melted. Remove from heat. Do not be tempted to raise the heat or you will burn your chocolate.
  • Squeeze out all excess water from your gelatin sheets, then add to the hot white chocolate mixture, and stir until smooth. Set aside to cool to between 102 - 100°F (39 - 43°C).
  • Whip the heavy cream till you get soft peaks (not firm peaks). Once your white chocolate has reached between 102 - 100°F (39 - 43°C), gently fold the chocolate mixture into the cream.
  • Fill a piping bag with the mousse. Be careful, as it will still be quite liquid. Set your semi sphere molds onto a baking tray for stability, and pipe the mixture into the semi-sphere molds (I use these: https://amzn.to/3KWr4AM), leaving a bit of room for your raspberry filling. Now, remove your fully frozen raspberry domes, and pop one into the center of each white chocolate dome. Cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and set in freezer to freeze fully.

Glaze and Assemble

  • To make the mirror glaze, cover your gelatin sheets with water in a bowl, and soak for 5 minutes.
  • Add the liquid glucose, sugar, and 70ml water into a small saucepan. Heat on low heat until the sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally.
  • Once the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil - continu cooking until it reaches 219°F (104°C).
  • Remove from heat then stir in the condensed milk and a generous amount of food coloring. Aim to make the mixture darker than you want it to appear on the domes, as it will become more translucent when poured.
  • Squeeze out the excess water from the gelatin sheets, add to the sugar mixture, and stir till smooth.
  • Pour this warm mixture over the chopped white chocolate and leave to stand for a few minutes. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and smooth. If this is not enough to melt your white chocolate - set on low heat, and stir continuously until fully dissolved. Set aside to cool. The mirror glaze can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for up to a week.
  • When ready to serve, set frozen mousse domes only a metal rack set over parchment paper (to catch drips). Gently warm the glaze to slightly above room temperature, 80-88 °F (28-31°C).
  • Working quickly, pour the mirror glaze over each dome, ensuring all parts are completely covered. Any excess glaze can be scraped off the tray and reused, but it is very sticky, so wait to finish as many domes as you can at once.
  • Set a pistachio sponge round on a gold base (I use these: https://amzn.to/4iXSeDZ). Using a fork, gingerly lift a frozen glazed dome off the rack, and onto the pistachio base. Use your fingers to press the chopped hazelnuts (or nuts of choice) around the entire base.
  • If using, place a small piece of gold leaf (I use this one: https://amzn.to/4rPvOc9) on top. The domes will thaw within an hour for consumption, or you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for several days (how long depends on the cream you used for your domes). Enjoy!