Chocolate Fudge Cake

Hold on to your hat, this one's a winner!

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/40-a-day/chocolate-fudge-cake-with-vanilla-buttercream-frosting-and-chocolate-ganache-glaze-recipe/index.html

Ingredients

Cake:

3 cups packed brown sugar

3/4 cup canola oil

3 eggs

2 2/3 cups (cake) flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder

2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups milk

1 1/2 cups boiling water

1 1/8 cups cocoa powder

Frosting:

5 sticks butter, soft

3 cups sifted powdered sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Ganache:

1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup heavy cream

Directions

To make 1 two-layer cake plus 36 mini cupcakes or one three-layer cake:

- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees - Oil 2 9-inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper, plus 3 mini cupcake pans. 

- In electric mixer, combine the brown sugar and oil. On low speed, mix in the eggs. 

- In large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, soda, and salt. 

- In small bowl, mix the vanilla into the milk. 

- Sift cocoa into a bowl, bring the water to a boil and pour over the cocoa and whisk it until it is smooth. 

- To the egg mixture, alternately add the flour mixture and the milk mixture beginning and ending with flour. With the mixer off, scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition. 

- With the mixture at a low speed add the cocoa. 

- Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pour this mixture into the prepared cake pans. It will seem extremely watery. You may want to bake it with a cookie sheet under to catch drips if you're using springform pans. 

- Bake the cake for approximately 30 minutes (cupcakes - around 10min) or until tester comes out clean. Cool and refrigerate. 

Frosting: In an electric mixing bowl place the soft butter and beat it on a low speed while adding powdered sugar, then vanilla, let the mixer beat for 5 to 7 minutes on a medium speed. 

Fill and frost the cake and refrigerate. 

Ganache: 

- In a heatproof bowl, place the chocolate chips. 

- Bring the heavy cream to a full boil. - Pour the cream over the chocolate until  just covered and whisk it until smooth. 

- Let sit, then pour over the top of the cake and refrigerate. (spoon on top of frosted cupcakes)

To make a smaller amount of cake (because this is a ton!) I use a 2/3 recipe as follows:

2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 cup canola oil

2 eggs

1 3/4 cups (cake) flour

1.5 teaspoons baking powder

1.5 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup milk

1 cup boiling water

3/4 cups cocoa powder