Devil's Food Cake

TO MAKE THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter two 10-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Mix the sifted ingredients with an electric hand-held mixer for 30 seconds. With the mixer still running, alternately add half the butter and 2 of the eggs. Mix until the ingredients are evenly combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to combine the ingredients. Continue to mix on low speed and add the buttermilk and vanilla. Increase the speed and beat the batter for 3 to 5 minutes, until it's fluffy.

Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Cool the cakes for 10 minutes, then carefully unfold them onto a cake circle or plate and cool on rack.

TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE: Place the chocolate in a bowl. In a sauce pan, bring the heavy cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and whisk until completely smooth. Let the mixture come to room temperature and then refrigerate for 2 hours. For icing the cake, the ganache should be set but still spreadable.

Slice each cake horizontally into 2 layers. Set one layer on a cake circle and spread the top with about a 1/4 inch of chocolate ganache. Repeat with the other layers and ganache to build the cake. Spread the top and sides of the cake with a thin, smooth layer of ganache. Chill the cake for 20 minutes.

Gently heat the remaining chocolate ganache in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until the ganache is pourable but not warm. To glaze the cake, set it on a rack over a pan and pour the ganache over the cake. Let the glaze drip down the sides of the cake. Chill the cake for 20 minutes. If there is extra ganache, melt it again, cool, then pour it over the cake as before.