Carnival Chocolate Cake

For the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease three 5-inch cake pans and line bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Crack in the egg, spoon in the sour cream, and pour in the oil and the vanilla. Mix with a wooden spoon until just combined. Pour in the boiling water, and slowly mix until smooth.

Divide batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cakes cool completely.

Run a paring knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Invert the cakes out of the pans. Peel off the parchment paper circles and set the cakes aside.

For the buttercream:
Beat butter for a few minutes in the bowl of a standing mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add powdered sugar and turn the mixer on low, beat until the sugar incorporates with the butter. Add vanilla, heavy cream and cocoa powder, beat on medium speed for another 3 minutes, or until buttercream becomes light and fluffy.

For the assembly:
Place one cake layer on your serving plate and spread with 1/4 cup of the buttercream. Place another cake layer on top, and gently press down a little bit. Spread with another 1/4 cup of the buttercream. Place the last layer of cake on top, smear the remaining buttercream on the top and sides of the cake. Cover and refrigerate.

For the ganache:
Place the chocolate and heavy cream in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Stir the mixture using a wooden spoon until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Let it cool slightly.

Remove cake from the refrigerator. Pour ganache over the top of the cake. Use an offset spatula to gently push the ganache over the sides of the cake to create the dripping effect. Scatter sprinkles on top of the ganache and gently press some on the sides of the cake.