Halloween Chocolate Cake with Coffee Cream and Meringue Ghosts

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CAKE BASE

• 1
  Preheat the oven to 190 ˚C for top and bottom heating.
• 2
  Mix the dry ingredients (sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa). Whisk in the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and coffee using a whisk or hand mixer.
• 3
  Pour the batter into two round cake pans with removable bottoms lined with baking paper, each with a diameter of 20 cm.
• 4
  Bake in the oven for about 40 – 45 minutes (monitor according to your oven, or perform a skewer test). After baking, let the cake bases cool slightly in the pan, then cut out and turn upside down onto a rack to cool completely.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CHOCOLATE - COFFEE CREAM

• 1
  Soak the gelatin in cold water.
• 2
  Mix Cream A in a saucepan with coffee and honey and simmer for about a minute. Remove from heat and after a moment, stir in the softened, squeezed gelatin and mix. Pour over the chocolate in a bowl and whisk, ideally with an immersion blender. Add Cream B, whisk again, and cover with cling film so that it touches the surface. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
• 3
  Then whisk (ideally in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment on low speed) to a creamy consistency.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR CREAM CHEESE CREAM

• 1
  Whisk all the ingredients with a hand mixer to a creamy consistency.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR MERINGUE GHOSTS

• 1
  Mix all the ingredients in a metal bowl and place the bowl over a water bath (so it does not touch the water). While gently whisking with a hand whisk, heat on a low setting until the sugar dissolves in the liquid (test between your fingers). Then move off the steam into the bowl of a stand mixer and start whisking on low speed (level 2 of 6). Gradually increase the speed after a few minutes and after several more minutes, increase to maximum and whisk for a few more minutes. The meringue will be beautifully white and glossy, without bubbles, and will form soft but stable peaks and will no longer be warm. If it is still warm, it must cool before piping.
• 2
  Place in a piping bag with a round tip (ideally 0.8 cm diameter). Draw ghost shapes on baking paper with a pencil. If you want to make 'floating' ghosts, prepare several skewers. Turn the paper over and pipe the meringue into shapes (start with the head, smoothly continue with the 'shoulders' and wave the body, ending with the 'tail') according to the templates. Pipe 'floating' ghosts over the skewer so that the skewer starts approximately in the middle of the ghost's body.
• 3
  Bake in a fan oven (if you have a gentler setting, use it) at 90 degrees for 2 hours and 15 minutes (if piping larger meringues – like roses – bake for 2.5 hours). Do not open the oven and leave the meringues in the turned-off oven for at least another hour.
• 4
  Melt the chocolate and let it cool slightly. Use a dipped toothpick to draw eyes on the ghosts and let them set.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ASSEMBLING THE CAKE

• 1
  Cut the cake bases in half (you will have 4 pieces). Spread a layer of cream cheese cream on the bottom piece. Arrange a third of the sliced blueberries on top. Cover with the second part of the cake base and repeat the process, but with sliced strawberries. On the third layer of the cake base with cream cheese cream, add a mixture of strawberries and blueberries. Cover with the last flat part of the cake base. Chill in the refrigerator for a while.
• 2
  Spread the cake base with chocolate cream and arrange the meringue ghosts on top (stick them with a little cream). Insert 'floating' ghosts into the cake.