Chocolate Cake with Creamy Ganache Recipe

21/2 cups all-purpose flour
11/2 cups good cocoa powder
21/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar , packed
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cups buttermilk, at room temperature
3/4 cup greek yogurt, at room temperature (Ina used sour cream originally)
3 tablespoons brewed coffee

For the Chocolate Ganache frosting:

24 ounces semisweet chocolate (I used a  choc bar broken into pieces, but you could use chips)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons agave syrup (I used this because I had no light corn syrup that Ina used in her recipe version)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter , at room temperature
Cherries and berries to decorate
Chcolate curls to decorate
Optional: Heart party toppers from our Sweet Valentine's Day Printable Kit


How to: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 12 by 18 by 1 1/2-inch sheet pan and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda , and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on high speed until light, approximately 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla and mix well. Combine the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. On low speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternately in thirds, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix the batter only until blended.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature before frosting.
5. Place the chocolate chips  and heavy cream  in a bowl set over a pot of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chips are completely melted. Off the heat, add the corn syrup and vanilla and allow the chocolate mixture to cool to room temperature.
6. Pour over cake and decorate with berries and chocolate curls! YUM!