A great chocolate cake goes like this: Start with a layer of devil’s food cake, nearly obsidian dark from Valrhona cocoa powder. Then add a thick strata of buttercream, another of chocolate crémeux, ...

Even the most fastidious pastry chef (I may or may not have two pairs of culinary tweezers, X-Acto knives, and a protractor in my kitchen drawer) can acknowledge the charm of an imperfect-looking ...

After letting the cake chill in the freezer and the ganache to set, the buttercream frosting will spread quickly over the top ...