Crust
2 cups chopped pecans
64 saltine crackers, broken up
6 egg whites
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
dash of cream of tarter
Cakes 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
8 ounces butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup flour
4 eggs
Mousse
12 ounces butter
20 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
8 egg yolks
12 egg whites
6 tablespoons sugar
Chocolate Whipped Cream
32 ounces frozen non dairy whipped topping, thawed
6 tablespoons cocoa

Crust
Heat oven to 350°F. Butter two 9 inch springform pans. Beat egg whites till foamy then add sugar, vanilla, and cream of tarter. Beat till stiff. In a separate bowl, break up the crackers into fingernail sized pieces and mix in pecans. Fold egg whites into crackers and pecans. Divide mixtures evenly between prepared pans, spreading it out in an even layer and up sides and bake for 12 minutes.
Cakes Melt butter and chocolate together. When crust is almost done, add sugar, flour and eggs to chocolate and mix just enough to combine ingredients. Divide evenly between crusts. Drop from 2 inches onto counter to knock out air bubbles and bake for about 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes then run knife around edge to loosen from pan sides and let cool completely on rack.
Mousse
Melt chocolate and butter together. Cool till no longer hot to the touch. Beat in egg yolks one at a time. Beat egg whites till soft peaks form. Add sugar and beat till mixed in. Fold into chocolate mixture. Pour on top of one cake which is still in pan. Chill till set.
Chocolate Whipped Cream
Put whipped topping in large bowl. Sift cocoa onto whipped topping. Mix together gently with whisk.
Assembly
Remove cake with mousse layer from pan and place on serving plate. Top with remaining cake. Top with chocolate whipped cream to about 1/2 inch thick, slopping it over the edge a little. Apply 1/2 inch of cream around the side of the cake, making it as square to the top as possible. Use a frosting knife to smooth cream out till you have a cylinder shaped dessert that is smooth and square-edged. Use a hot knife to cut cake for serving.
Nicole's Note
The cake is compiled together from 3 different recipes for a Musky Pie with this crust, the mousse and the whipped cream. The assembly instructions and changes to amounts, etc, have been made to my best recollection as to what I did the first time I made this as a cake. The originators of the recipe have a short section about making the pie into a cake, but it wasn't all together like this.