Just a few of the layers for Karls birthday cake. Karls birthday cake was totally awesome, but possibly inappropriate to share online. Send me an email if you want to see the finished project. By the way, this is the best chocolate cake in the world. Recipe as follows:

• 3 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate
  

• 1 1/2 cups hot brewed coffee (I like it super strong)
  
• 3 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch process)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups well-shaken buttermilk
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 pound fine-quality bitter sweet chocolate
  
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

Preheat oven to 300°F. and grease and flour pans. Line bottoms with rounds of wax paper (Do this after greasing pans but before flouring them.

Chop chocolate and place in a bowl and combine with hot coffee. Let mixture stand for a couple of minutes and then stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Here comes the annoying part. I usually take out a few different mixing bowls for this. First meausure out sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Then in another bowl have your sifter ready to go. Cup the ingredients into the sifter and sift until all in the second bowl. Take a fork and mix really well. I am a total nazi about sifty everything together really well. So I take the sifted mixture and sift it one more time after i stir it together back into the original bowl. It kind of gets all over, but is worth it.

In a kitchen aid with the whisk attachement beat eggs until thickened slightl and lemon colored - probably a good three minutes. Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, continuously whisking until well combined. Add dry mixture and beat on medium speed until just combined well. Divide batter between pans and bake in middle of oven until a tester inserted in center comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Cool layers completely in pans on racks. Run a thin knife around edges of pans and invert layers onto racks. Carefully remove wax paper and cool layers completely.

I usually do this the day or night before I want to assemble the cake, so it is fresh, moist and firm :)

For the frsoting chop chocolate into small pieces. In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a low boil/simmer over moderately low heat, whisk until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted. Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth ( this will make the ganache shine)

Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable. I like to do this part the day of assembly, so I usually make an ice bath for it.

Spread frosting between cake layers and over top and sides. For the cake I made my little brother I doubled this batch completely.