Triple Chocolate Sandwich Cake with Ganache

I'm and experienced baker, and made this cake for a chocolate-loving friend's birhtday, and he loved it. This cake is chocolatey, and not overly sweet. For anyone having trouble with this cake, here's what I did: 1. always grease and flour your baking pans, then place parchment paper in them, and grease and flour (use cocoa for a chocolate cake) the paper. My cakes never stick when I do this. 2. The butter to sugar ratio in this recipe is low, it just won't cream. This is no big deal, the cake will still turn out well. Just go ahead and add one egg and then begin creaming. 3. Beat the butter/sugar/egg mixture at least two minutes, then add another egg, beat two more minutes, add the third egg, beat at least two more minutes. 4. This recipe will fill 3 9-in. cake pans if each one is filled slightly less than halfway. This makes an impressive looking cake when ganache and frosting is spread between each layer. 5. To make the ganache, boil the cream over medium heat, then add the chocolate chips, lower the heat, and whisk briskly until smooth. 6. This recipe's buttercream frosting is good, but unnecessarily complicated. Just cream the butter, mix the cream, vanilla and chocolate together,alternately add it and the confectioner's sugar to the creamed butter, then the cream cheese. I found the frosting too thick, so I added 3 tbs. milk. I left out the egg yolk completely. 7. Cake assembly-pour the ganache in the center of each layer, then carefully spread it just to the edge. Chil  -  11 Jan 2009  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)

As someone who has never baked with ganache before, it would have been helpful to know that I should have refrigerated or whipped it before trying to spread it on the cake. It was a colossal disaster. The worst baking experience I have ever had. Ganache spilling everywhere.  -  07 Sep 2004  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)

WOW!! I had never made a cake from scratch but wanted to try. I was a little leary and VERY scared. I pretty much followed this recipe exact with the exception that I used semisweet choc chips for the ganache. This cake was VERY time consuming - im sure that might have something to do with my inexperience. I did refridgerate the ganache (overnight, actually since it became very late) In the morning I whipped it with a hand mixer and it was perfect. I didn't think the batter was too thin and it fit fine in 2 pans. I also did firmly pack the brown sugar as I think someone else had suggested. Ok so I twisted things a little by frosting the entire cake with the ganache and using the buttercream frosting to garnish on top and the bottom - I also shaved some chocolate for decor. (im going to see if I can figure out how to load a pic).. Here's the best part - I take this absolutely beautiful cake to work with me tonight and had it in a crystal disply case (I work in a restaurant) I added it as a dessert special and of course because of the beauty of it was ordered by the very first table of the night. I was mortified because even with its looks I was so afraid that with the first cut it would collapse or explode or worse, I was afraid it would taste disgusting all put together. HOLY MOLY, it was a hit!! We sold almost the whole cake and people went on about it being the best cake they ever had and how moist it was, etc. I was beaming and LOVED taking credit for it!! Thank U!!!  -  13 Apr 2007  (Review from Allrecipes USA and Canada)