Kiwi Mousse Cake recipe

Chocolate Cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 (1 ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 small eggs
1/3 cup sour milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Syrup:
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier (orange liqueur) or rum
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Mousse Filling:
5 kiwifruit, peeled and sliced
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
3 egg whites
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 ounce unflavored gelatin, dissolved in 3 tablespoon water
2 to 3 drops green food coloring

Chocolate Leaves:
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, melted and warm
6 to 8 camellia leaves or any other nonpoisonous leaf

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and paper-line a 9-inch springform pan.

Cake: Sift flour with baking soda into large bowl.

Combine butter, oil and chocolate in small pan; stir over low heat to melt. Add water. Cool 15 minutes. To flour mixture, add sugar, eggs, sour milk and vanilla; mix with wooden spoon. Stir in cooled chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove from oven; stick holes in hot cake and drizzle syrup over top. Set aside to cool.

Syrup: Combine water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a rolling boil. When cool, add liqueur. Pour over hot cake.

Mousse Filling: Briefly puree kiwi and pour into a bowl. Whip cream until soft peaks form. Beat egg whites, gradually adding sugar until soft peaks form. Stir gelatin into puree. Fxold egg whites and half the whipped cream into kiwi mixture. Color with food coloring. Pour mixture on top of cooled cake still in springform pan. Top and decorate with remaining whipped cream. Cover and freeze 4 hours before serving.

To serve, unmold by removing sides of pan. Decorate with chocolate leaves or shaved chocolate. Top with strawberry.

Chocolate Leaves: With small brush, paint a thin layer on vein side of leaf. Chill until set; repeat with 3 more layers. Refrigerate. When ready to use, peel chocolate off leaves with chilled hands.