Kona Coffee and Hawaiian Vintage Chocolate Mousse Torte

To make the marzipan disc: Knead the marzipan until pliable. Dot with food coloring, fold the marzipan over the coloring, and knead until the color has spread evenly throughout the marzipan. On a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil, roll the marzipan into a 9-inch round disc that is 1/8-inch thick. Press with the back of a large knife to score with parallel lines 1/4-inch apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

To make the meringue disc and mushrooms: Preheat the oven to 200 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or buttered heavy brown paper. Trace around a 9-inch plate to draw a circle on the paper. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form. Gradually add the confectioner’s sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Place one fourth of the meringue in a pastry bag fitted with a medium plain tip. On the edges of the prepared baking sheet, outside the traced circle, pipe sixteen 3/4-inch puffs for the mushroom caps and 16 thin 1-1/2-inch long lines for the mushroom stems. Put any leftover meringue back into the bowl with the reserved meringue and fold in the macadamia nut flour. Place the nut meringue in a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe in a tight spiral on the circle drawn on the paper. Fill in the circle with the meringue and smooth the top slightly with a spatula or table knife. Bake for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, or until crisp but not browned. Remove from oven, lift the paper with the meringues, and place on a wire rack to cool right on the paper.

When cool, lift from the paper. With sharp knife, trim the meringue circle to fit inside the cake pan. Set aside. With the tip of a sharp knife, scrape a small hole in the bottom of each mushroom cap. Use the same sharp knife to shave one end of each stem into a small point. Press a stem point into each cap. Dust the caps with a little cocoa powder and set aside.

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line the bottoms of two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper. Warm a deep bowl; fill the bowl with warm water, empty it, and dry thoroughly. In the warmed bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until the mixture thickens and a ribbon forms when a spoonful is drizzled on the surface. Fold the cocoa powder into the egg mixture. Gradually fold the salt and two thirds of the flour into the egg mixture. Blend a large spoonful of the mixture into the butter, then gently fold the butter and the remaining one third of the flour into the mixture. Pour into the prepared pans and bake 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.Let the pan cool for 10 minutes, then remove the cakes from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack. You will have two 1/2-inch-thick cakes.

Line a 9-by-2-1/2-inch round cake pan with a circle of parchment paper or greased waxed paper. Cut a strip of heavy flexible plastic 4 inches wide and 30 inches long. Place the plastic strip around the inside of the cake pan, letting it extend above the top.

Melt the jam in a small pan over medium heat. Strain the jam through a fine-meshed sieve. Spread a thin layer of about one third of the apricot jam on one cake circle and place in the prepared pan, jam-side up. Place the ganache in a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip and pipe a spiral of ganache over the jam.

To make the coffee mousse: In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin and instant coffee over the water and set aside. In a large bowl, whip the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture thickens and a slowly dissolving ribbon forms when a spoonful is drizzled on the surface. Stir in the gelatin mixture and blend until completely dissolved. Stir one fourth of the whipped cream into the egg mixture to lighten the mixture, then fold in the remaining cream. Pour over the ganache in the cake pan and smooth the top.

Place the meringue disc over the coffee mousse, pressing it slightly into the mousse to bond. Sprinkle the Kahlua over the meringue disc.

To make the chocolate mousse: In the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, melt the chocolate. Set aside in the pan. In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and set aside. In a deep bowl, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks and set aside. In a large bowl, whip the egg yolks and sugar until the mixture thickens and a slowly dissolving ribbon forms when a spoonful is drizzled on the surface. Stir in the gelatin mixture and blend until completely dissolved. With a rubber spatula, gently stir in the warm chocolate. Stir one fourth of the whipped cream into the egg mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining cream. Pour over the meringue disc in the cake pan and smooth the top.

Spread the second cake circle with one third of the apricot jam and place, jam-side down, over the mousse, pressing it slightly into the mousse to bond. Spread the remaining apricot jam over the top of the cake. Press the marzipan disc into the jam, scored-side up. Place the cake in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours.

To serve: Remove the cake from the freezer. Turn the cake out of the pan and remove the paper from the bottom. Gently pull the plastic strip off the side. With a heavy sharp knife, cut the cake into wedges, dipping the knife into hot water and wiping the blade dry between cuts. With a pastry brush or small spoon, cover one half of the top of each wedge with melted chocolate. Place 2 dots of melted chocolate off-center on each plate and stand a meringue mushroom on each dot, holding the mushrooms until the chocolate cools and they stand upright on their own. With a spatula and your hand, lift each cake wedge and place it upright on its spine on each serving plate next to the mushrooms. Spoon a little raspberry puree on each plate. Remove the husks from 16 poho berries and spread open the husks on the remaining 8 poho berries. Garnish each plate with 2 husked berries, 1 berry with the husk attached, and 1 mint sprig.