Month-of-Mini-Desserts: Gluten-Free Chocolate Mini Dome Cake

Have you had P.F. Chang’s flourless chocolate dome cake with raspberries? A friend and I split the dessert when we are lunching there. It is worth the splurge money-wise and calorie-wise ‘cause we all deserve a treat now and again!

In trying to replicate the recipe, I have read many recipes on the Internet and from them created my own version. This one seems to replicate the taste close enough for me, but the texture is still off.

I wanted a deep, deep chocolate so I used dark chocolate chips and black cocoa. Black cocoa is new to me, and I love it! Such a deep layer of flavor. Black cocoa has half the calories of regular cocoa powder and has 10% of the RDA for iron compared to 4% for regular cocoa.

Gluten-Free Chocolate Dome Cake (14-16 mini-domes)  

For the cake:

½ cup dark chocolate chips (60% or more cacao)
4 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks

¾ cup sugar
3 eggs
½ cup black cocoa powder (can use Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa)
3 teaspoons vanilla

For the sauce:

1½ cup raspberries (fresh or frozen)

3 tablespoons sugar

2-4 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon raspberry extract

Preheat oven to 375°.

Prepare silicone pans by coating with non-stick cooking spray. If you only have one pan, wash thoroughly before using again.

Over simmering water, in a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips. Add butter. Whisk to incorporate. Set aside to cool somewhat.

In a small bowl, whisk the sugar, eggs, and cocoa powder. When smooth, add vanilla.

Add a small amount of cocoa mixture to the egg mixture to temper the eggs. Mix thoroughly. Repeat with another small amount of the chocolate mixture.

Add remaining chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and whisk thoroughly to blend all ingredients.

Spoon chocolate batter into the dome mold. Bake for 20 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Let sit 5 minutes. Turn over onto plate and gently press the bottom of the mold to push domes out so they can cool.

While the chocolate cake is baking, make the raspberry sauce.

Start with thawed berries (if using frozen). In the mini-food processor, puree the berries with 2 tablespoons of water. Add more if the berry mixture is too thick.

Over medium heat, bring berry mixture to a boil after adding the sugar.

Remove from heat. Stir in raspberry extract. Cool to serve with dome cakes as a flavorful garnish and decoration.

Note: I didn’t have two dome pans, so I tried baking the rest of the batter in my mini-muffin pan. DO NOT DO THIS! Even with the baking spray, the cakes would not release easily. I ran a butter knife around the edge, and of the twelve mini-muffins, only four were intact. I will wash my silicone dome mold next time and use it for the remaining batter.

My dome mold is for 8 domes (2” across). Each dome holds about ¼ cup. Do not fill domes to the top. This batter rises because of the eggs.

DH’s RATING: 4 Tongues Up

He liked the deep chocolate flavor and that it was not overly sweet. But he thought it was a brownie cooked in a round form. This one is more for presentation, I guess, as the flavor and texture don’t distinguish it. Still on the lookout for one that is closer to P.F. Chang’s.