Cake

What You Need:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant-espresso powder
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
Fresh raspberries
Almond Slivers
Gold leaf

For ganache

2 1/2 cups heavy cream
20 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter individual cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Butter paper and dust pans with flour.

2. Whisk together water, cocoa, and espresso powder until smooth, then whisk in milk and vanilla.

3. Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a medium bowl.

4. Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer at high speed until fluffy, then add eggs 1 at a time, making sure each is well blended. Add flour mixture and cocoa mixture in batches, beginning and ending with flour and mixing at low speed until just combined.

5. Divide batter among pans smoothing tops. Bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pans on a rack 30 minutes, then invert onto racks, remove parchment, and cool completely.

6. While cakes are baking, bring cream to a simmer in a medium saucepan and remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate until smooth. Transfer ganache to a covered bowl, stirring occasionally until thickened but spreadable, about 4 hours.

7. Spread a generous amount of ganache over top and sides of each cake. Garnish with fresh raspberries, almond slivers and a gold leaf.