Black-out cake

 
                               BLACK-OUT CAKE
 
 Recipe By     : 
 Serving Size  : 1    Preparation Time :0:00
 Categories    : Cakes                            Desserts
 
   Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
 --------  ------------  --------------------------------
                         -----CAKE-----
      3/4   c            Butter, softened
    3       ts           Baking soda
    3       c            Sugar
    3                    Eggs
      1/2   ts           Salt
      3/4   c            Buttermilk
    1 1/3   c            Boiling water
    4       oz           Unsweetned chocolate, melted
    3       c            Flour
      3/4   c            Roasted almonds, diced
    2       ts           Vanilla extract
                         -----CHOCOLATE GANACHE-----
   18       oz           Semisweet choclatechips(3cup
    1 1/2   c            Heavy cream
    1       t            Vanilla
    2       tb           Butter,cut up
 
   1.Preheat oven to 350 F. grease 2 nine inch round cake
   pans. Dust with flour, tap out excess. 2.In a large
   bowl, beat together butter and sugar with electric
   mixer or medium speed until light and fluffy,1-2
   minutes. add eggs and vanilla and beat until well
   blended. add chocolate and beat 1-2 minutes. 3.Mix
   together flour, baking soda and salt. Add to chocolate
   mixture in two additions alternately with buttermilk.
   Beat until well blended. With mixer on low speed, add
   boiling water and beat until smooth( batter will be
   thin) Pour batter into prepared pans. 4.Bake 35-40
   minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center
   comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then
   unmold onto racks and let cool completely. 5.Make
   Chocolate Ganache:In a 2 qart glass measure, combine
   chocolate chips and heavy cream. Heat in a microwave
   oven on HIGH 3 minutes, or until melted and smooth
   when stirred. Stir in butter and vanilla. 6.Cover and
   refrigerate 1 hour, or until ganache holds its shape
   and is thick enough to spread on cake. 7.Cover a cake
   layer with a little more than 1/3 of chocolate
   ganache. Set second layer on top. Frost top and sides
   of cake with remaining ganache. Press almonds into
   side of cake. Refrigerate cake 3-4 hours, or until
   ganache is firm, before serving.
  
 
 
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