Sesame Mocha Torte

For meringue layers, preheat oven to 250° F and line bottom of three 9-inch springform pans. Whip egg white with cream of tartar until foamy and add sugar gradually. Whip to stiff, glossy peaks. Stir in vanilla. Toss sesame seeds and ground almonds with cornstarch and fold into meringue. Spread into prepared pans and bake for 50 to 60 minutes until dry but not browned. Allow to cool.

For cake, increase oven temperature to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan, line bottom with parchment paper, and grease parchment. Sprinkle entire pan with sugar. Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, vanilla and sesame oil. Stir in sesame seeds. In a separate bowl, sift together ground almonds, flour, baking powder, spices and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with milk, until evenly blended. Whip egg whites to stiff peak and fold in, first a third then remaining whites. Spread batter into prepared pan and bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until a tester inserted in the centre of the cakes comes out clean. Allow to cool.

For filling, heat cream with instant coffee powder to just below a simmer and pour over chopped chocolate. Let sit a minute, then gently whisk together. Chill completely. Once chilled, whip chocolate cream to medium peaks.

To assemble torte, slice cake in half horizontally and set aside. Place a meringue disc on platter, spread a quarter of the mousse on disc and cover with a cake layer. Continue layering meringue and cake, finishing with the meringue disc.

For garnish, drizzle melted chocolate on top of meringue and finish with a sprinkling of sesame seeds.

Yield: 1 9-inch torte. Makes 6 to 8 servings.