Notes of The Chef's Touch (from book! NOT myself!!! It is best to start work on this cake very early in the day if it is to be served that evening. Death By Chocolate may be held for 2 to 3 days under refrigeration, but it is at its best served within 24hrs of completion. The preparation of all the chocolate components for this cake might seem overwhelming, but if the production is spread out over a period of 3 days it is manageable. DAY 1: Prepare the chocolate brownie, and keep refrigerated until the cake assembly. DAY 2: Bake the cocoa meringue, and store in a dry place at room temperature (between 68 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit). Prepare the Mocha Rum Sauce, refrigerate until 2 hours before service, then bring to room temperature. DAY 3: Prepare the chocolate mousse (this mousse must be refrigerated for a minimum of 2 hours before assembling the cake), mocha mousse, and ganache. Assemble the cake. Be certain that the meringue completely fills the traced circle. If the meringue is not large enough, the sides of the cake will be uneven. Do not be concerned if the meringue slightly overlaps the circle; any excess can be trimmed off after the meringue has been baked. Baked meringues are very brittle: Handle with care. Use a very sharp serrated knife to trim the meringue; otherwise, the meringue will break apart. If the ganache solidifies, place the bowl with the ganache in a pan of hot water and stir until the texture is correct for pouring. Use several toothpicks inserted in the sides of the chocolate brownie as guides to accurately halve the brownie horizontally. If you must have the bad news, I have saved it for last. Each slice of Death by Chocolate contains 1,354 calories.

COCOA MERINGUE:
4 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, sifted
1 tablespoon cornstarch

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE:
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-ounces pieces
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 egg whites
2 tablespoons granulated sugar

CHOCOLATE BROWNIE LAYER:
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
Simply The Best Chocolate Brownie (*see recipe for it*), uncooked

CHOCOLATE GANACHE:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
22 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2- ounce pieces

MOCHA MOUSSE:
14 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-ounce pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into 1/2- ounce pieces
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons instant coffee
2 tablespoons cocoa, sifted
5 egg whites
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
3/4 cup heavy cream

MOCHA RUM SAUCE
*see the recipe for it*

4 egg whites 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar 1/8 teaspoon salt 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa, sifted 1 tablespoon cornstarch 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-ounces pieces 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 3 egg whites 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 1 teaspoon unsalted butter 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour 1 1/2 cups heavy cream 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 22 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2- ounce pieces 14 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-ounce pieces 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into 1/2- ounce pieces 1/2 cup water 4 tablespoons instant coffee 2 tablespoons cocoa, sifted 5 egg whites 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 3/4 cup heavy cream

EQUIPMENT NEEDED:
Measuring cup, measuring spoons, sifter, 9-inch cardboard cake circle, parchment paper, 2 baking sheets, electric mixer with balloon whip, rubber spatula, pastry bag, double boiler, film wrap, 4 stainless steel bowls (1 large), 2 whisks, 9- by 1 1/2-inch cake pan, 12-inch serrated slicer, 2 1/2-quart saucepan, 9- by 3-inch springform pan, ladle, serrated knife, large metal spoon, cake spatula, large star tip

Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit
Using a 9-inch cake circle as a guide, trace a circle with a pencil on a sheet of parchment paper cut to fit a baking sheet. Turn the paper over and, with trace mark down, place on a baking sheet.
To prepare the cocoa meringue, place 4 egg whites, the cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Whisk on high until soft peaks form, about 45 to 50 1 1/2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the mixer and use a rubber spatula to fold in and thoroughly combine the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, and the cornstrach. Fill a pastry bag (with no tip) with the cocoa meringue. Fill the traced parchment circle with meringue: start in the center and pipe a 3/4-inch-wide spiral towards the outside of the circle.
Place the meringue in the preheated oven and bake for 15mins. Lower the oven temperature to 200 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 2 hours and 45mins. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 45mins. before handling. Raise the oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
While the meringue is baking, prepare the chocolate mousse. Heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place 6 ounces semisweet chocolate in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap. Allow the chocolate to melt slowly, about 9 to 10mins. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Keep at room temperature until needed.
Place 1 1/2 cups heavy cream in the well-chilled bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a well-chilled balloon whip. Whisk on high until peaks form, about 1 minute. Set aside.
Whisk 3 egg whites in a large stainless steel bowl, until soft peaks form, about 3mins. Add 2 tablespoons sugar and continue to whisk until stiff peaks form, about 2 to 2 1/2mins. add a quarter of the whipped cream to the chocolate and whisk quickly, vigorously, and thoroughly, then add to the egg whites. Now add the remaining whipped cream. Fold all together gently but thoroughly. Refrigerate the chocolate mousse until needed.
To prepare the chocolate brownie layer, coat a 9- by 1 1/2-inch cake pan with 1 teaspoon of butter. Flour the pan with 1 teaspoon of flour, shaking out the excess. Pour the Simply The Best Brownie batter into the prepared cake pan, spreading evenly. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake the brownie until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30mins.
Remove the brownie from the oven and allow to cool in the pan at room temperature for 5mins. Turn out onto a cake circle and refrigerate for 15 to 20mins. Remove the brownie from the refrigerator and cut in half horizontally. Keep the brownie at room temperature until needed.
To prepare the ganache, heat 1 1/2 cups heavy cream and 3 tablespoons butter in a 2 1/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil. Place 22 ounces of semisweet chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for 5mins. Stir until smooth. Keep at room temperature until needed.
To prepare the mocha mousse, heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of the double boiler over medium-high heat. Place 14 ounces semisweet chocolate, 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, the water, instant coffee, and 2 tablespoons cocoa in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap. Heat for 6 to 7 minutes, remove the film wrap, and stir the mixture until smooth. Keep at room temperature until needed.
Place 5 egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a balloon whip. Whisk on high until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Continue to whisk while gradually adding 2 tablespoons sugar. Whisk until stiff, about 30 seconds.
Whip 3/4 cup heavy cream in a well-chilled stainless steel bowl until stiff. Fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the melted chocolate mixture, then fold in the whipped cream. Now fold in the remaining egg whites. Keep the mocha mousse at room temperature.


ASSEMBLY:

To assemble Death By Chocolate, place a closed 9- by 3-inch springform pan on a baking sheet. Set the top half of the chocolate brownie inside the pan, top side up. Ladle 1 1/2 cups of ganache into the pan over the chocolate brownie. Trim the cocoa meringue with a serrated knife so that it will fit tightly into the pan. Place the trimmed cocoa meringue, top side up, inside the pan on top of the ganache, pressing down gently on the cocoa meringue to eliminate air pockets.
Spoon the mocha mousse on top of the cocoa meringue, spreading evenly. Place the remaining chocolate brownie half, bottom side up, on top of the mocha mousse. Chill the cake in the freezer for 30mins or refrigerate for 1 hour.
Remove the cake from the freezer and cut around the edges to release from the springform pan. Pour the remaining ganache over the cake and use a cake spatula to spread the ganache evenly over the top and sides of the cake. Refrigerate the cake for 10 to 15mins to set the ganache.
Fill a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip with the chcoolate mousse. Pipe a circle of stars (each touching the other) along the outside edge of the top of the cake. Continue to pipe out circles of starts until the top of the cake is covered. Refrigerate the Death By Chocolate for at least 4hrs. and preferably 12hrs, before cutting and serving.
Prepare the Mocha Rum Sauce (the sauce can be prepared just prior to service or several hrs in advance). To serve, cut the Death by Chocolate nto the desired number of servings. Heat the blade of a serrated slicer under hot running water before slicing into the cake. Repeat this procedure after cutting each slice. Before placing the cake slice on the 10-inch diameter plates, flood the base of each plate with 3 to 4 tablespoons Mocha Rum Sauce, then place a piece of Death By Chocolate in the center of each plate. Serve immediately!