Devil’s Food Whiskey Cake

To make the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and grease the insides of two 9 inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Add the hot coffee to a heatproof bowl and whisk in the vanilla extract and cocoa powder until smooth and blended. Set aside.
3. Sift the cake flour, baking soda and salt together into another bowl and set aside.
4. Whisk the buttermilk and oil together until well blended and set aside.
5. Add the unsalted butter to a large bowl (I used a 6 quart size) along with the sugar and use an electric mixer to cream on medium high speed for 2 minutes. The butter and sugar will not form a paste, it will remain crumbly like wet sand. This is okay and normal.
6. Add the whole eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add both yolks and the sour cream together and beat well until creamy. Scrape down the bowl.
7. Add half of the flour mixture and half of the buttermilk/oil mixture and mix on low speed until completely blended. Add the remaining flour and buttermilk/oil, along with the coffee/cocoa mixture and melted chocolate. Blend on medium low speed until completely incorporated. The batter will be slightly thick.
8. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans and bake on the center rack for 30-33 minutes. Rotate the pans halfway through baking if your oven has hot spots.
9. Allow the cakes to cool completely before filling and finishing the cake. Once they reach room temperature, turn them out of the pans and wrap them in plastic wrap before refrigerating. Chill the cakes for at least 4 hours. This makes it easier to level the tops.
10. After the cakes have chilled, use a long serrated knife to level off any crowning and create a flat surface.

To make the frosting:

1. Add the chopped chocolate to a small heatproof bowl and set aside.
2. Add the cup of butter to a stainless steel or light colored saucepan (so you can see when the butter begins to brown) and melt the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
3. As the butter continues to heat, you’ll notice that the milk solids will come up to the surface and form a “skin” on top of the yellow butterfat. Keep stirring occasionally.
4. Eventually, the milk solids will sink below the surface to the bottom of the pan, and the yellow butterfat will clarify. Keep stirring a little bit to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
5. Once you start to see the milk solids turn a light brown, stir the butter constantly as the color deepens and the butter starts to smell nutty. Remove the saucepan from the heat when the milk solids are a light-medium tan.
6. Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately pour the browned butter over the chopped chocolate in the heatproof bowl. Allow the chocolate and butter to stand for 3 minutes before whisking until smooth. Add the whiskey and vanilla and stir. 
7. Chill the chocolate brown butter mixture in the fridge for 30 minutes before proceeding with the frosting. After chilling, it should be a thick, spreadable consistency.
8. Once the chocolate mixture has cooled, beat the cream cheese on medium speed for 2 minutes to smooth out any lumps. Add the chocolate mixture, half of the powdered sugar, all of the vanilla and salt, and beat on low speed until the sugar has blended in.
9. Scrape down the bowl and add the remaining powdered sugar. Beat for another minute until incorporated, and then increase the speed to medium high. Beat the frosting for 2 minutes until creamy and smooth.

Make the ganache and finish the cake:

1. Add the 4 oz chopped chocolate to a small heatproof bowl and set aside. Microwave the heavy cream for one minute on full power, or until it boils. 
2. Pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate and let it steep for 2 minutes. Add the vanilla extract, salt and 2 TB of the whiskey and stir together until smooth. Set aside.
3. Using a pastry brush, brush 1/3 cup of the whiskey over each cake layer for a total of 2/3 cup between them. 
4. Fill a large (16 inch) piping bag with about half of the frosting and cut a 1 inch hole from the tip. Pipe a “dam” or ring around the edge of each soaked cake layer, but don’t go over the sides. The frosting ring should be flush with the sides of the cakes.
5. Pour half of the ganache onto one of the cake layers and use a spatula or butter knife to spread into an even layer inside the frosting ring. Set the second cake layer on top of the ganache covered layer and repeat with the remaining ganache to top the second layer.
6. Set the cake in the fridge and allow the ganache to firm up for 30 minutes. 
7. After 30 minutes, use the remaining frosting to completely cover the outside and top of the cake. The ganache should be covered by frosting.
8. Decorate with sprinkles as desired and serve. Any leftovers can be refrigerated for 3-4 days or frozen for a few months.