CHOCOLATE MOUSSE CAKE

Ingredients

5 egg whites

1/2 lemon

120g caster sugar

120 icing sugar, plus extra for dusting

60g cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting

For the ganache

550g dark chocolate

450ml double cream

50ml whisky or rum (optional)

Method

Place the egg whites in a food mixer with a pinch of salt and squeeze of lemon juice, then whisk briskly. As you whisk, slowly add caster sugar until you have meringue that will form stiff peaks. 

Sieve the icing sugar and cocoa powder together, and fold into the whites in batches until you have thick, glossy meringue.

Preheat the oven to 140C/fan oven 120C/ gas mark 1.

Draw three 25 cm circles with a pencil onto greaseproof paper and place on baking sheets. Load a piping bag with a large round nozzle and pipe three discs of meringue. With the remaining meringue, pipe out several long tubes onto another sheet of greaseproof paper on another baking sheet.

Bake all the meringues for 1 hour 30 mins, or until feel dry and crisp. Once cooled, transfer to an airtight container or tightly wrap in foil.

Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water until smooth. Set aside to cool. Whisk the cream lightly until it thickens, taking care not to overbeat. Once the chocolate is tepid, whisk in a quarter of the cream, then fold in the rest with the alcohol.

Spread a third of the chocolate mixture onto a disc of meringue and then cover with the second disc. Spread the second third of the ganache over the second meringue, cover with the third disc and then form a dome of the remaining ganache on top.

Break up the tubes into lengths of 3-4cms and pile them on top of the ganache. Just before serving, dust with a little extra icing sugar and cocoa powder.