• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease and flour three 8 inch cake pans. We line ours with parchment circles as well. (You could also use two 8 inch pans instead for thicker layers or two 9 inch pans.)
• Add the dry ingredients to your mixing bowl (cake mix, cocoa, flour, sugar, salt), mix to combine. Add the sour cream, melted butter, eggs, and vanilla. Mix on low speed 30 seconds to combine. (This is everything but the coffee and chocolate chips.)
• Next, with the mixer on low speed, slowly add the hot coffee (not boiling). Increase to medium speed and mix for two minutes. *Batter is very runny just after adding the coffee and so you may need to mix on low for several seconds before increasing to medium.
• Gently fold in the cup of mini chocolate chips. Scoop the batter into the three prepared pans. (There is about 6.5 cups of batter.)
• Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes or until the middle of cake springs back when touched or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Baking times may vary! Peek in as the end time approaches and adjust as needed.

For the Ganache (optional)

• Pour the chocolate and heavy cream into a microwave safe bowl. Heat in microwave for 40 seconds, then additional shorter bursts as needed until the chocolate is almost melted.

  Once chips are soft and almost melted, stir to finish the melting process and allow to cool to desired thickness. (It will thicken as it cools).

For the Buttercream Frosting

• Add the softened butter and mix on low to medium speed until smooth. Add vanilla and blend into the butter.
• With the mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar, most of the milk, salt, and cocoa powder. Increase to medium speed as it becomes incorporated and add the remaining milk as needed. It may take 5 to 6 minutes to reach the smoothness and consistency you like. Too thick? Add a bit more milk. Too thin? Add a bit more powdered sugar.

Assembling and Decorating

• Place the first *cooled* cake layer on the cake pedestal. Spread a thin layer of the cooled ganache onto the layer. It should be soft and spreadable.
• Next, spread a layer of chocolate buttercream on top of the cooled ganache. Top with the next cake layer and repeat. Top with the final cake layer. Fill in any remaining gaps between layers with frosting.
• Apply a thin crumb coat of frosting on top and around the sides of the cake. At this point, we like to chill the cake in the freezer for 15 minutes (or longer in the refrigerator) to firm things up before applying the final coat of frosting. This keeps the layers from shifting as you decorate.
• Apply the final coat of frosting to the outside of the cake. Spread a layer of ganache on top (it should be cooled but still easily spreadable). Decorate however you like. We added a large shell border around the bottom using a 2D piping tip.

Storage

• The cake is fine to sit at room temperature under a cake dome or in an airtight container for a couple of days. Beyond that, we like to move to the refrigerator for freshness. *If you do refrigerate the cake, allow it to warm to room temperature before serving so that it can warm and soften.