Devil's Food Cake with Ganache

To all the chocoholics out there: this cake is for you.
At first I thought it hadn't turned out quite right, it was extremely moist which I wasn't expecting and this presented some challenges when slicing layers. But when I iced the ganache on, it surprisingly came together just fine. After placing the cake in the fridge for an hour or so I took it out and had a slice of what was the most delicious chocolate cake I've had in months. It is rich, but not too rich. My roommate and I both got bigger pieces than we anticipated finishing yet had absolutely no issues in cleaning our plates. The pictures aren't quite as "pretty" because of the moistness, but I tried to take them in a way to do the cake justice.  I forgot to whip the ganache which is what the recipe called for. I'm sure this would make it even more amazing so I've included all of the instructions for that. This is the second recipe I've made from Karen Barkers: Sweet Stuff and so far it's 2 for 2.

Devil's Food Cake with Whipped Ganache
Recipe from Karen Barkers: Sweet Stuff

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups + 2 1/2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup cocoa
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 eggs
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup brewed coffee, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla

Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
2 cups cream
16 ounces semi sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

Preparation for cake:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10x2-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper . Line the sides of the pan with a parchment "collar" which extends 1 1/2 inches above the sides of the pan. Butter the parchment paper and dust the pan with cocoa, tapping off the excess. If you would prefer to use 2 8-inch pans there is no need to collar the pans; just line the bottoms with parchment. Cut each 8-inch layer in half and use 3 of the layers, spreading the ganache between two of them to form a 3 layer cake. Snack on the remaining layer.
2. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder; add the salt. Reserve.
3. In a mixer, using a whip attachment, beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is thick and light (4 to 5 minutes). Reduce the speed and beat in the vegetable oil. Alternately, add the reserved dry ingredients with the buttermilk, pausing to scrape the bowl several times. Add the coffee and the vanilla and mix to blend. Be forewarned that this is a very thin batter. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 55-60 minutes or until the top of the cake is springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center tests are clean. Cool the cake in the pan for 20 minutes.
5. Remove the parchment collar and turn the cake out onto a cardboard cake circle.
6.** Prepare the whipped ganache by placing the cooled ganache in a mixer bowl--its consistency should be solid but creamy and malleable--and whip until the ganache just starts to thicken and lighten in color slightly. It should be of spreadable consistency.
7. Slice the cooled cake into two layers and spread the bottom layer with whipped ganache. Top with the remaining layer, pressing down lightly. Unless the weather is very warm, keep this cake at room temperature before serving. It can be made up to 2 days ahead of time. If refrigerated bring it to room temperature to serve. I like to cut wedges of this cake and pour a light glaze of cocoa fudge sauce over the top of each portion, allowing a bit to drip down the sides, just before serving. If you would like to leave the cake plain, sprinkle some powdered sugar over the top just to give it a more finished look.

Preparation for ganache:
1. Heat the cream in a heavy-bottomed medium-sized saucepan until it is just under a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and add the chopped chocolate. Replace the pan over very low heat and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate is completely melted.
2. Remove from heat and strain through a fine-mesh strainer.
3. Because the ganache will be used as a filling or icing, it is best to allow it to cool to room temperature. It should reach thickened, spreadable consistency after sitting for several hours or overnight.