Michelle's Ding Dong Cake

Michelle's Original Recipe

Michelle calls this Best Fudge Cake. I knew Jimmy would think he didn't like it by that name so the Ding Dong reference stuck. Either way it is so good... and not nearly as hard as it sounds or looks. It may even get better with age!
Cake Ingredients:

3 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup soft butter
2 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 cup sour cream
1 cup boiling water

1. Melt chocolate in small saucepan over very low heat
2. Prepare three round cake pans. (I spray with Pam, set a circle of waxed paper in the pan, and spray again with Pam. Trace the pan onto the wax paper once and then cut the three circles at the same time.)

3. Beat butter until smooth in large bowl with electric mixer. Add sugar and eggs; beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.

4. Beat in vanilla and chocolate with mixer on low speed, then add baking soda and salt. Add flour alternately with sour cream, beating in low speed until smooth. Pour in boiling water; stir with a spoon until well blended. Pour into prepared pans.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 35 minutes or until center springs back when touched lightly with fingertip. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool completely.
6. Split each layer with long serrated knife into 2 layers; fill with sweetened whipped cream. Frost with ganache. (One of my layers was thin, even though I measured, so I did not cut it in half and had a five layer cake.)

Note: Batter will be thin and makes thick layers.
*Based on Michelle’s recommendation I used my homemade sifter for the flour and also had flour left over from my original measured flour.
Filling:

6-8 oz. softened cream cheese
2 c. whipping cream
sugar
vanilla

Whip cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add whipping cream
and continue beating until desired stiffness. Add vanilla and
sweeten to taste. (I cheated and used Cool Whip because it was a Sunday and that is what I had on hand.)
Ganache:

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. whipping cream
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 bar German sweet chocolate
a few grains of salt

(Use the chocolate you like, for a total of 4 oz. Next time I will use the homemade fudge in the freezer left over from Christmas because we know we like the flavor. We are a milk chocolate family.)

Stir together sugar, salt and 1/4 c. cream in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Add chocolate and stir constantly until dissolved. Add remaining cream.
Ganache will be quite thin, and will thicken as it cools. When completely cool, pour over the cake and smooth on the sides. Refrigerate cake until serving.