For me, this is the ultimate spring dessert! The Limoncello-Mascarpone part of this dessert is taken from here and it is absolutely perfect. I only change the berries to cream ratio and leave out the preserves.
A few years ago I saw a then popular online video from an unknown restaurant. A waiter poured a hot ganache or a syrup over the chocolate bowl in a patron’s plate. It slowly melted and revealed the dessert inside that became surrounded by the sauce and the chocolate. I knew I had to make it at home! And while I was able to recreate this concept at home, I now much prefer a simply melted chocolate bowl without adding anything else.
If you are not familiar with Limoncello, it’s a stiff lemon liqueur with high alcohol and sugar content. It’s a popular after dinner drink during the summer months. I’ll be honest with you – I’ve never had it on its own because it’s so strong. Even so, I go through about a bottle a year using it specifically for baking. And as I write this, I have two bottles in the pantry that I made about a month ago. I am really looking forward to trying the homemade version and pouring it over ice vanilla cream.
You do need these spheres to make the serving bowls. They are originally used for a Christmas ornament craft. I purchased two from Hobby Lobby. They are cheap, last forever, and you can choose between several sizes. And you can use them for crafts should you have lots of time and a bare Christmas tree.
Even if you don’t want to deal with making the bowls, it will be absolutely perfect on its own!
Limoncello Mascarpone in Chocolate Bowls
Ingredients
Limoncello Mascarpone
- 3/4 C heavy cream
- 4 oz Mascarpone
- 3 Tb sugar
- 3 Tb Limoncello liqueur
Chocolate Bowls (if using)
- 5.5-6 oz Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips
- 2 whole plastic spheres for Christmas ornament making
Fruit
- 2 C assorted berries and/or fruit of your choice Divided in four
Instructions
Chocolate Bowls
- Clean and wipe completely dry the plastic spheres. Set out the 4 halves open side up. You will make two whole spheres and then divide each one in two.
- Divide the chocolate in two parts or you can just split when melted in half, if you are comfortable.
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave or in a double boiler. Stir with a spatula every 20 second until just melted.
- Pour 1 portion of the melted chocolate in the plastic ball and put the second half on top. Hold tightly and shake vigorously to make sure the chocolate evenly coats all sides. If there are couple of spots left open – that’s okay. Just make sure to cover most of it. If needed, use a couple of pieces of tape to secure the two halves together.
- If the chocolate cools and hardens too fast, you can put it in a ziplock bag and hold it under very warm running water.
- When it’s covered most of the sphere (ideally – all of it), put it in the freezer for about an hour.
Limoncello Mascarpone
- Meanwhile, while the chocolate cools, combine the mascarpone, heavy cream, limoncello, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Mix using a hand mixer until it reaches the desired consistency. You can leave it runny or keep mixing until it’s thick. I usually stop and taste-test it a few times.
- When finished, put in the fridge and prep your fruit!
Assembly
- Take the chocolate ball out of the freezer. Remove any tape. Carefully open by lifting one side up. Hold a salad knife under the running hot water and then slide it across the seam to separate.
- To secure them on a plate, slightly melt the bottom by touching the very bottom part with a warm knife or spoon. You only need to melt it a little bit to make it stick to a plate.
- Pour Limoncello Mascarpone into the chocolate bowls and top with fruit!