CHOCOLATE NIRVANA CAKE

Steps:

• CAKE:.
• Preheat oven to 350*. Grease 3 round cake pans(I also line the bottom with waxed paper). Set aside.Put water on to boil.
• Mix together flour, soda and salt. set aside.
• Beat together butter and sugar until light.
• Add eggs and vanilla.
• Add chocolate and beat 1-2 minutes.
• Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture, alternating with buttermilk.Beat until smooth.
• Slowly add boiling water, beating until completely smooth-batter will be thin.
• Pour into pans. Bake 35-40 mins, until tester comes out clean.
• While baking, make ganache, caramel and whipped cream.
• Cool cakes in pans for 10 mins, then unmold onto racks to finish cooling.
• CARAMEL-cook sugar, corn syrup and butter over low heat until 242*. Remove from heat and add cream and vanilla.Cool. Will thicken as it cools.
• GANACHE-Melt butter, chocolate chips and cream over low heat.Whisk in almond extract. Cool.
• WHIPPED CREAM- Whisk cream until it just begins to thicken, then add pudding powder. whisk until ready.Refrigerate.
• PECANS- put butter on a cookie sheet& melt in oven (can toast pecans while baking cake)- when butter is melted, toss pecans in pan until coated. bake @ 350 until toasty smelling (~10 mins- watch carefully, they burn easily!)Salt to taste.
• When everything is cool, assemle the cake:.
• Place first layer on cake plate. Plop 1/3 of the whipped cream onto cake. Drizzle caramel and chocolate over cream. Repeat for next 2 layers, but be a little "artistic" with the top layer-oozing the caramel and chocolate over the sides of the cake. Sprinkle liberally with pecans!