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1
Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 3 8-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and flour.
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2
Cream together butter and sugar, then beat in eggs, one at a time.
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3
In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
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4
In another bowl, whisk together water, cold drip coffee, cocoa, and esspresso powder until smooth. Then whisk in sour cream, cream, and vanilla.
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5
Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture to sugar mixture in alternating batches, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Mix together until well blended.
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6
Divide batter evenly among prepared pans, gently tapping to remove air bubbles and smooth tops.
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7
Bake in the middle of the oven for 30 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool in pans for 30 minutes, then remove cakes onto cooling racks to cool completely.
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8
While cakes are cooling, you can begin to prepare your ganache.
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9
In a saucepan, bring cream to a simmer, then remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate until smooth. You may leave at room temperature until desired consitency is met or refrigerate to thicken more quickly.
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10
*Keep in mind that to acheive the glossy appearance of the ganache, it must have set without refrigeration. Refrigerated ganache may be heated again to achieve the desired consistency and appearance.
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11
Cake freezes well if well covered. I have made this cake, filled and glazed it with ganache, then frozen it. Upon thawing, I cover it with a light layer of fresh ganache and it was beautiful and couldn't have looked or tasted fresher. I have also decorated with shaved chocolate on top for an even more lavish appearance!
