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1
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
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If youre making cupcakes, line the wells of your pans with fluted paper liners, or grease and dust them with flour or cocoa.
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If youre making larger cakes, grease pans and line bottoms with rounds of wax paper.
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4
Grease paper.
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5
Finely chop chocolate and in a bowl combine with hot coffee.
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Let mixture stand, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.
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7
Into a large bowl sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
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In another (very) large bowl, beat eggs with an electric mixer until thickened slightly and lemon-colored (about 3 minutes with a standing mixer or 5 minutes with a hand-held mixer).
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Slowly add oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture to eggs, beating until combined well.
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Add sugar mixture and beat on medium speed, bracing yourself against puffs of cocoa-and-flour dust, until just combined well.
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Divide batter between pans.
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Bake in middle of oven 20 to 25 minutes for cupcakes, or 50 to 70 minutes for larger cakes, until a tester inserted in center comes out clean.
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Cool cakes completely in pans on racks.
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Run a thin knife around edges of pans and remove cupcakes, or invert larger cakes onto racks.
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15
If making larger cakes, carefully remove wax paper.
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16
Cakes may be made one day ahead and kept, wrapped well in plastic wrap, at room temperature.
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17
For the ganache frosting- Finely chop chocolate.
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In a 1 1/2- to 2-quart saucepan, bring cream, sugar, and corn syrup to a boil over moderately low heat, whisking until sugar is dissolved.
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Remove pan from heat and add chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted.
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Cut butter into pieces and add to frosting, whisking until smooth.
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Transfer frosting to a bowl and cool, stirring occasionally, until spreadable.
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22
You may want to place the bowl in the fridge for a bit, but stir it now and then until it cools to your desired consistency.
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Then spread on your cupcakes!
