Mochaccino Mousse Cups

These cute little cups are an impressive dessert presentation, filled with rich mocha mousse and topped with a fluffy cloud of whipped cream.

Made with chocolate, patience and determination, they make a dramatic end to a dinner party.

For the cup and saucer:

• About 100g dark chocolate (per cup)
• Thin cardboard
• Acetate
• Clingfilm
• Saucer
• Teaspoon (made from one piece of metal or plastic)
• Scissors
• Sellotape
• Paintbrush

For the mousse filling (this will make enough to fill about 4 cups):

• 100 g dark chocolate
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 egg whites
• 20 g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp strongly made instant coffee
• (optional 1 tbsp of Kahlua)
• Whipped cream to finish

Start by making the central piece, the cup. To make the cup, first make the mold. Cut a strip of cardboard, roll it into a short, squat tube and secure it with a couple of pieces of tape. Test the size by sitting it on the saucer. I used a saucer 12 cm in diameter, and piece of card 18 x 5 cm, with about a centimetre of extra length to overlap for a secure fix.

Cut two pieces of acetate the same size as your piece of card. Wrap one of these around the tube, and secure it with some tape. This will provide a nonstick surface to mold the chocolate onto.

Now you have your mold, here comes the messy part. Melt some chocolate. Take the second piece of acetate, lay it on a surface you don't mind getting a bit splattered and spoon some chocolate on to it. Brush out the chocolate until you have an even and fairly thick layer across all of the acetate.

Now pick up the acetate and wrap it around your mold. Make sure the bottom edge all lines up, as this will help seal in the mousse, and fill in any gaps where both ends meet by brushing on a little more chocolate.

Leave this to set. Once this has done so very gently peel away the acetate from the outside, and add another layer of chocolate in exactly the same way.

Next make the saucer the cup is going to sit on. To do this, first cover the underside of the saucer in clingfilm. Smooth it out as much as possible, to create a nice surface for molding. If the clingfilm slips, secure it by first brushing the surface of the saucer with a little oil.

Now, melt some chocolate and pour it onto the saucer. Spread the chocolate across the saucer with a paintbrush until it covers the whole thing in an even, fairly thick layer. Run your finger around the edge to even out any drips.

Leave this to set. Once it has apply a second coat of chocolate in exactly the same way, and leave that to set.

Once everything has set, this is the scary part, unmolding all of this chocolate.

For the saucer, unwrap the clingfilm from underneath and lift it and the chocolate very gently from the saucer. Peel the clingfilm away from the upper side of the chocolate saucer. Place the saucer on a serving plate.

To free the cup, first peel off the outer layer of acetate. Now carefully cut the sellotape securing the card and twist the card in on itself, rolling it into a tighter tube. This should make it small enough to remove without cracking the chocolate. Finally, peel away the inner layer of chocolate.

To prepare the cup for the mousse, spread or pipe a little melted chocolate onto the saucer and place your cup on top. Fill in any obvious gaps with more chocolate and let the whole thing set while you make the mousse.

To make the chocolate mousse, melt 100 g dark chocolate and stir in the coffee (and kahlua if you are using it). When the mixture has cooled a little, stir in the egg yolk.

Put the two egg whites in a clean bowl and, using an electric whisk or a lot of elbow grease, whisk the eggs until they form soft peaks. At this stage pour in the sugar. Continue whisking until stiff peaks form and the mixture is glossy.

Very gently fold the egg whites through the chocolate mixture until fully combined. Spoon the mousse into the chocolate cups, wiping off any spillage.

Leave this in the fridge for a couple of hours to set.

While the mousse is setting, make the spoon and the handle.

To make the spoon, cover the back of the teaspoon and its handle in clingfilm, in the same way as the saucer was done earlier. Brush chocolate onto the clingfilm in a thick layer and leave to set. This will need two or three layers to make sure it's strong enough.

Once all the layers have set, very carefully peel the clingfilm off the spoon, and then off the back of the chocolate, Put it somewhere cool to store until the dessert is served.

For the handle pour a little melted chocolate into a piping bag and pipe a thick question mark shape onto some acetate or a similar non stick material. Once that has hardened, pipe another on top of the first layer to build up a little thickness.

Leave this somewhere cool and safe to store until the dessert is served.

Once the mousse has set the assembly can be finished.

First, carefully secure the handle to the cup with a little melted chocolate. Place the spoon on the saucer.

Take some whipped cream, and spoon it on top of the mousse.

Finish off with some grated chocolate, or chocolate shards.

Noe all that is left is to gather some guests, to impress them with your chocolate confection. Then dig in and enjoy.

• If not being used immediately, the cups can be stored in the fridge until they are needed.

• I haven't given quantities for how much chocolate makes each part of the cup, since it will depend on the size of your molds. I just melted a little of the chocolate at a time, since not much is needed for each layer. Any leftover chocolate can be remelted for next time. Of course, if you are tempering the chocolate this could make the whole thing a time consuming process.

• It's best to make a few spoons and handles spare, as they are the most fragile components of the whole thing.