Individual Devil's Food Cakes with Creamy Vanilla Center and Chocolate Ganache Topping

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup butter; softened
2/3 cup cocoa
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup boiling strong coffee
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons soda

White and Fluffy Frosting:
1 cup milk
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup Crisco shortening (white)
1 cup fine grain granulated sugar

Ganache:
8 oz. heavy whipping cream
8 oz. high quality semi-sweet chocolate; cut into small pieces
Pinch of salt
1 pat of butter
1 tablespoon real vanilla extract

CAKE:
Preheat oven to 325°. Grease (Pam) two 8-inch cake pans and dust with cocoa. (Grease pans and place wax paper on bottom only and grease again, then dust with cocoa). With an electric mixer, blend sugars, eggs and butter until light and smooth. Blend in cocoa, buttermilk, vanilla and coffee, mixing after each addition. Combine flour, salt and soda; beat in just until combined.

Pour into prepared pans and bake 40 to 45 minutes until cake test done; wood pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on rack 20 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely. Cake freezes well and it's easy to make half recipe.

WHITE AND FLUFFY FROSTING:
Combine milk and flour; cook over medium heat until boils and thickens. Cool completely and stir in vanilla. With an electric mixer; beat shortening and sugar until smooth and creamy. Beat in cooled milk mixture until light and fluffy. Good on any kind of cake or fill cupcakes.

GANACHE:
Bring heavy cream just to a boil and remove from heat. Add chocolate and allow to sit until chocolate is melted, just a couple of minutes. Add salt, butter and vanilla and stir until well blended and smooth. Allow to cool, stirring occasionally to desired consistency. Pour over cakes or cool to thicker and fill cakes with Ganache. Great as a frosting on brownies also. After pour over cake, cool in refrigerator to form a hard, smooth shell.

The cakes are very easy. The one pictured was 1/4th of my cake recipe divided between two mini springform pans and then each cake was split and filled with the White and Fluffy Frosting then ganache was poured on. You could just use jumbo muffin pans or even regular muffin pans and fill them as for cupcakes. This is an exceptional Devil's Food cake recipe and it's so easy and forgiving. Just be sure to not over bake. Marilyn (DanaIN)