Death By Chocolate Cake

Prepare the icing the day before you plan to assemble and frost your cake - this is very important as the icing needs time to thicken. It does take some patience but it's worth it! For the icing: Combine granulated sugar and heavy cream in a heavy saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring to a full boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and continue to simmer for 10 minutes without stirring. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add the butter, chocolate, and vanilla. Stir until the chocolate and butter are melted and mixture is well combined. Pour into a small bowl and allow to cool, stirring frequently. (About every half hour or so, just give it a little stir.) Once the frosting is room temperature, loosely cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight to chill. This allows the icing to thicken completely. the day you bake the cake, take the icing out of the fridge before you start on the cake, and let it sit on the counter to come to room temperature until the cake is cooled and ready to be assembled. You have two options how to use the icing: once it's room temperature again, you can use it as-is to fill and frost your cake. It will be thicker and have a darker color, and a more grainy texture (but still smooth). Or, what I usually do is beat it for about five minutes with an electric mixer on medium speed to incorporate some air and get a little more bulk from it. This results in a thinner consistency, lighter color, and a slightly less grainy texture. Either way is delicious - it's a matter of appearances more than anything. (For the photos included with this recipe, the icing was whipped.) For the cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Generously grease and flour two 8-inch round baking pans. Prepare the instant coffee by stirring it with the boiling water till all the granules are dissolved. Set aside to cool to lukewarm or room temperature. In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and salt. Add the remaining ingredients and mix with an electric mixer set to low speed for about 2 minutes until everything is combined. The batter will be very thin and runny, almost like pancake batter. Don't worry, you didn't mess it up I promise! Divide the batter evenly among the two pans - about 3-1/4 cups of batter will go into each pan. Bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.