Chocolate Cemetery with Meringue Ghosts

Start by preparing the baking pan and preheating the oven. Set the oven to 170°C with the top and bottom heating function. Prepare a rectangular pan measuring about 20x30 cm. Line it with baking paper so that the paper extends beyond the edges of the pan – this will make it easier to remove the finished cake later.

Prepare a water bath to melt the chocolate. Pour water into a small pot to a height of about 2-3 cm and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to the minimum. Place a metal or glass bowl on top of the pot, which should be larger than the diameter of the pot and not touch the surface of the water. In the bowl, add the broken dark chocolate (70%) and diced butter. Slowly stir with a silicone spatula until the ingredients are completely melted and combined into a smooth, shiny mixture. Remove the bowl from the pot and set aside to cool slightly for about 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, place the eggs and brown sugar. Using a hand mixer or a whisk, beat the ingredients for about 3-4 minutes on medium speed. The mixture should become lighter, fluffy, and double in volume. The goal is to aerate the eggs, not to whip them into stiff peaks.

Slowly pour the slightly cooled chocolate mixture into the fluffy egg mixture in a thin stream. At the same time, gently mix everything with a spatula or a mixer on the lowest speed, just until the ingredients are combined. Stir with a scooping motion from the bottom to the top to avoid losing the airiness from the eggs.

In a separate, smaller bowl, mix the dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. Sift them directly into the chocolate mixture. Using a spatula, very gently fold everything together, making only a few movements, until the dry ingredients disappear into the mixture. There may be small lumps of flour in the batter – that's okay.

Pour the prepared mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with a spatula. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 25-30 minutes. The brownie is ready when its edges are set and slightly pulling away from the pan, while the center is still slightly moist and 'jiggly'. Check with a toothpick – when inserted into the center, it should be coated with moist crumbs, but not raw batter. After baking, remove from the oven and let it cool completely in the pan.

While the brownie is baking and cooling, prepare the meringues. Preheat the oven to 100°C (convection or top-bottom heat). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. In a perfectly clean, dry metal or glass bowl, place the egg whites. Make sure there is not a trace of yolk in them. Add the lemon juice.

Start beating the egg whites with a mixer on medium speed. When they start to foam and turn white, but are still liquid (after about 2-3 minutes), begin to add the sugar, one tablespoon at a time, at intervals of about 30 seconds. Do not add all the sugar at once! After adding all the sugar, increase the mixer speed to maximum and beat for another 7-10 minutes, until the meringue becomes very thick, stiff, and shiny. Properly whipped meringue, when rubbed between your fingers, should not have any detectable sugar crystals, and when the bowl is turned upside down, the meringue should not fall out.

Transfer the meringue mixture to a piping bag fitted with a round, smooth tip (nozzle) about 1-1.5 cm in diameter. On the prepared baking sheets, pipe the meringues, forming ghost shapes. Do this by first piping a round base, then pulling the bag upwards to create a conical shape with a curled tip. Keep space between the meringues. Place the sheets in the preheated oven and dry the meringues for about 90 minutes. After this time, turn off the oven, slightly crack the door, and leave the meringues inside to cool completely (preferably for a few hours or overnight).

Once the brownie has completely cooled, prepare the ganache. Chop the chocolate (50-60%) into very small pieces and place it in a bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the 30% cream until it is very hot, but do not bring it to a boil (small bubbles should appear at the edges). Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate. Wait 2-3 minutes without stirring, so the chocolate can soften.

After 2-3 minutes, start gently stirring the mixture with a small whisk or spatula, beginning from the center of the bowl and making small circular motions. Gradually expand the movements outward until all the chocolate has melted and a smooth, uniform, and glossy cream is formed. Set the ganache aside to thicken slightly for about 15-20 minutes at room temperature. It should have the consistency of thick pudding.

Remove the cooled brownie from the pan by grabbing the protruding parchment paper, and place it on a large plate or board. Spread the prepared and slightly thickened ganache evenly over the entire surface of the cake, creating an uneven, 'muddy' layer.

If using, place the Oreo cookies in a ziplock bag and crush them with a rolling pin or a pestle to create 'dirt'. Sprinkle the crushed cookies over the ganache in some places. Then gently insert rectangular butter cookies into the cake at various angles to make them look like tombstones.

Finally, decorate the cemetery with ghosts. Using a toothpick and black food coloring (or melted chocolate), paint small eyes on the cooled meringues. Gently place the finished ghosts on the surface of the cake, between the gravestones. The cake is ready to serve!