Whipped chocolate ganache: Mix ½ cup heavy cream with 1 cup semi‑sweet chocolate chips, chill, then whip until fluffy
Chocolate buttercream: Beat 1 cup (2 sticks) butter with powdered sugar, cocoa, melted chocolate, a pinch of salt, and heavy cream until smooth
Ganache Drip (optional)
Heat ¾ cup heavy cream, pour over 1 cup chocolate chips, stir until smooth
Method
Prep & Bake Cake: Preheat oven to 350 °F. Grease and line pans. Whisk dry ingredients; in a separate bowl whisk wet ingredients and eggs. Stir into dry mix; add hot coffee and whisk until smooth. Fold in chocolate chips. Divide batter and bake 25–35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool: Let layers cool completely on wire racks.
Make Ganache & Frosting: Prepare whipped ganache and chocolate buttercream following ingredients above.
Assemble:
Place bottom layer, spread whipped ganache.
Add second layer with a bit of buttercream.
Top with final layer, coat the entire cake with frosting.
Add Ganache Drip: Chill cake, pour ganache over edges to drip naturally.
Decorate: Pipe more buttercream or ganache on top and garnish with chocolate chips or curls.