Bittersweet chocolate mousse with brownie cake and raspberry coulis

Brownie cake
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 325°. Generously grease an 8-inch springform pan and line it with parchment paper, then grease the paper.
Melt the butter and bittersweet chocolate together in a small saucepan over low heat. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs together with both sugars and the vanilla vigorously for 2 minutes. Stir in the melted butter and chocolate.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt and fold into the chocolate batter, then pour into the prepared springform pan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The consistency should be dense and fudgy like a chewy brownie, but not undercooked or the batter will ooze out of the center when it is sliced. Invert onto a rack and remove the springform pan. Let cool thoroughly before removing the parchment paper.

Bittersweet chocolate mousse
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee
3 egg whites
12/ cup sugar

Melt the chocolate gently in a double boiler. Let cool, then beat in the 3 egg yolks, one at a time, until the mixture is smooth.
In a small saucepan, combine 1 tablespoon of the heavy cream with the vanilla extract and instant coffee. Stir over low heat until the coffee is dissolved. Stir this mixture into the melted chocolate. Set aside.
In another clean, dry bowl, whip the egg whites until foamy. Sprinkle in the sugar, a little at a time, and keep beating until stiff. Scoop out a large dollop and work it into the chocolate mixture to loosen it up, then fold in the remaining egg whites, this time gently, to keep the batter light.
In one last bowl beat the remaining chilled heavy cream until stiff enough to hold its shape, then fold it also into the chocolate. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.

Chocolate glaze
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons sugar
10 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Combine the cream, butter, and sugar in a saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. Bring to just under a boil, then remove the pot from the heat. Add the chopped chocolate Stir gently with a whisk until smooth. Let cool to room temperature.

Glaze cake
Peel the parchment off the cooled cake, then turn it back over on the rack. Place the rack on a baking tray. Pour the chocolate glaze over the cake, starting from the center and tipping the rack slightly back and forth so the glaze spills over the edges and coats the cake completely.
Refrigerate until the glaze has set, then repeat once again for a smooth, satiny finish. Chill until set.

Assemble and decorate
1 pint fresh raspberries

Fit a piping bag with an extra-large decorative tip of your choice and fill the bag with the chocolate mousse. Pipe large swirls around the edge of the cake, then fill it in the center with the remaining mousse.
Use a spatula to make a well in the center of the mousse, then fill with the fresh raspberries, mounding them into the dome of a crown.

Caramel crackle
1/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water

In a small saucepan, bring the sugar and water to a boil over high heat. The pot can be shaken a little, but don?t stir or the sugar will crystallize. Cook until you have a light golden syrup, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly, then drizzle over the berries and let harden to a thin, crackly coating.

Raspberry coulis
2 pints raspberries or 1 pound bag frozen, thawed
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Place the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a blender and process on high speed until smooth. Pass the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the seeds. Store in the refrigerator, tightly covered, for up to 1 week. Spoon some of the coulis onto individual plates and top with the slices of the cake.