New Orleans Double-Chocolate Praline-fudge Cake

"This cake was the best cake I have ever eaten", that's what my mother in-law said after eating this yummy cake for her Birthday. And I must say it was up there on my top 10 best cakes I have ever eaten as well. Super moist Chocolate cake with Chocolate Ganache in between each layer mmmmm.....and Praline frosting dumped on top, you cant get much better than that! A little rich but soooo good. Making this cake is a little time consuming, so be prepared to spend a little extra time in the kitchen on this one ladies but the end result is timeless....

Cake Ingredients

1 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 cup water
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Directions

Grease bottoms of 3 (8") round cakepans; line with wax paper.Grease and flour wax paper and sides of pans.

Cook first 3 ingredients in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until butter melts and mixture is smooth; remove from heat.Cool.

Beat buttermilk, eggs, baking soda, and vanilla at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth.Add butter mixture to buttermilk mixture, beating until blended.Combine sugar, flour, and salt; gradually add to buttermilk mixture, beating until blended.(Batter will be thin.)Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.

Bake at 350º for 20 to 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes.Remove from pans; immediately remove wax paper.Cool completely on wire racks.(Layers will appear thin.)

Chocolate Ganache

2 cups (12 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup butter or margarine, cut into pieces

Microwave chocolate morsels and cream in a glass bowl (50% power) 2-3 minutes or until morsels are melted, stirring after 1 1/2 minutes; whisk until smooth.Gradually add butter, whisking until smooth.Cool, whisking often, about 25 minutes or until spreading consistency.Yield: about 2 cups.

Praline Frosting - Do not prepare this candylike frosting ahead because it will harden very quickly.

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring often; boil 1 minute.Remove from heat, and whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth.Add toasted pecans, stirring gently 3 to 5 minutes or until frosting begins to cool and thicken slightly.Pour frosting immediately over cake.Yield: about 2 cups.  

Spread about 1/2 cup ganache between cake layers; spread remainder on sides of cake (do not frost top of cake).Chill cake 30 minutes.Pour Praline Frosting slowly over top of cake, spreading to edges, and allowing some frosting to run over sides of cake. 
 
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