Chocolate, Coffee, Cardamom and Cinnamon Mousse

Place 4 x 120ml ramekins or serving glasses in the fridge; this will help the mousses to set quickly. Break the chocolate into chunks, then put in a large heatproof bowl with the coffee and cardamom seeds. Set over a pan of simmering water for about 3 minutes until the chocolate has melted, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and making sure that the bowl is not touching the hot water.

Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly. Once the chocolate has cooled for a few minutes, beat in the egg yolks one at a time, using a wooden spoon.

Place the egg whites in a separate bowl and, using a balloon whisk or an electric beater, whisk to soft peaks. Tip the sugar into the stiff whites and continue to whisk until the mixture is glossy and meringue-like. Stir a spoonful of the whites into the melted chocolate – this helps to loosen the mixture – then carefully and lightly fold in the rest of the meringue. Spoon the mixture into the chilled ramekins or glasses and chill for at least 40 minutes (or up to 2 hours if time allows).

Serve on plates with a good dollop of crème fraîche topped with a little grated chocolate, if liked.