Preparation method

Baked brownie:

• Pre-heat oven to 180 C
• Heat water, cocoa, coffee and chocolate
• Add in vanilla paste and chopped pecan nuts
• Whisk egg whites, eggs, sugar and salt over heat
• Remove mixture from heat and transfer to a bowl
• Whisk until mixture reaches ribbon stage
• Fold egg mixture into chocolate mixture
• Whip cream to soft peaks
• Fold into chocolate batter
• Grease a 20cm round tin with spray and bake, line with wax paper and dust with flour
• Bake for 27-30 minutes
• Allow to cool to room temperature
• Place in freezer for 20 minutes

Blackberry and chocolate mousse:

• Bloom gelatine in water
• Set aside
• Thaw blackberries and blend until pureed
• Strain puree well
• Heat eggs, sugar and cream and beat until thick and double in volume
• Add gelatine to hot egg mixture
• Melt chocolate
• Fold chocolate and blackberry puree into egg mixture
• Beat 300ml cream and icing sugar to stiff peaks
• Fold into mixture and chill

Lemon grass mousse:

• Bloom gelatine in water
• Heat cream and lemon grass stalks
• Melt chocolate
• Add gelatine to hot cream mixture
• Remove lemon grass stalks
• Add lemon grass essence
• Mix chocolate and cream mixture
• Whip cream and icing sugar to soft peaks
• Fold into mixture
• Place mousse into the 20cm silicone mould
• Freeze until ready to use

Blackberry gel:

• Bloom gelatine in water
• Heat blackberries and sugar
• Blend blackberries until pureed
• Strain puree well
• Add gelatine to puree
• Allow to cool to room temperature
• Once set, cut out a 16cm circle

Patterned layer:

• Cream butter and sugar
• Add cocoa powder and flour, then add egg white and mix well
• Place into a piping bag
• Position pattern under a piece of wax paper and pipe out the pattern with the chocolate batter
• Freeze for 15 minutes
• Beat eggs and sugar until double in volume
• Add sifted flour and salt and fold in well
• Pour batter over the pattern and bake at 160 C for 10 minutes
• Allow to cool
• Cut out the 3cm pattern into a long strip and set aside

Mirror glaze:

• Bloom gelatine in water
• Heat cream
• Add gelatine to cream
• Pour cream over chocolate
• Whisk oil, essence and white food colouring into cream
• Allow to cool to 32 C before pouring over the lemon grass mousse

Rice paper orchid:

• Cut out the shapes of the orchid using a cutter or template
• Use a paintbrush and dip into water and gently brush over petals. Allow to dry
• Attach the floral wire to the largest petal using edible glue
• Cut out a small circle of rice paper and position over the wire
• Attach the second large petal with some water
• Attach the centre petal with some water

Assembly:

• Place the baked brownie mousse onto a cake board
• Place a cake ring over the baked mousse
• Pipe a generous layer of blackberry mousse on top of the baked mousse
• Insert the blackberry gel onto the mousse
• Cover the blackberry gel with the remaining mousse
• Freeze until ready to use
• Remove the lemongrass mousse from its mould
• Place the lemongrass mousse onto a wire rack and drizzle the mirror glaze over it
• Allow to set
• Place the lemongrass mousse on top of the blackberry mousse
• Place patterned sponge around the baked mousse layer
• Decorate with the rice paper orchids