Oh, I am so glad you liked it!

I brought home enough for the kids to have a sliver today...and it was even better than yesterday.

It was delicious!  That cake recipe is huge, I ended up making 3 nine inch rounds (thankfully I have that many pans) and they were good size layers.  The salted caramel was incredible!  Then I did chocolate ganache instead of regular frosting.  Everyone loved it.  Definitely something I would make again.

I wrote out all the recipes that HH posted here so they are all titled as "Hedgie's ______________"

Thanks so much for sharing your recipes.

Then the ganache should be just fine.

And I should say they are not particularly hard to please...my sister and I will be the most critical of it.

Going for flavor, this group could careless what it looks like.

Depends on whether you are going for a particular look, or just good flavor.  If just flavor, I would only do the buttercream if it is for a frosting person (I don't usually like fristing, but your sister might love it). If for looks, just the ganache can be pretty, or it can be dressed up with sprinkles, sparkly sugar, or something like that. But if you are going for a certain look, or trying to tie into a theme, you might need the buttercream to accomplish that.

I just did a Boston Cream Pie (really a cake, for those not familiar) and did a fab ganache using Scharffenberger chocolate (semi sweet).  I don't think choc buttercream on top could improve a high-quality choc ganache.  Just my opinon!  (And ganache is so fast and easy . . . pour it over cake and so pretty).

Yum!

Making my grocery list...do you think I need chocolate buttercream frosting too if I coat it with the chocolate ganache as a glaze?

***Swoon***

Quote from: becca on December 18, 2016, 09:59:39 AM
Ganache under buttercream?!  YUM!

Oh, yeah. That poker cake I made for A's birthday. I made a mocha cake, coved it with a mocha ganache, chilled it to get the ganache firm, then frosted with a coffee buttercream. I just wish I was there to have a piece.

Ganache under buttercream?!  YUM!

I haven't read the posts yet, but first thought was:

Cake by Hedgie

I'm drooling just thinking about it!

And I have found that an easy, and delicious, way to do a scratch coat is not to use frosting for that first application. Make a chocolate ganache, pour over cake and spread evenly, the refrigerate to harden. Then frost with buttercream, or whatever frosting you like.