Ingredients

• Caramel
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup water
• 2 Tbs. light corn syrup
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, diced
• ¼ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• ½ tsp. fresh lemon juice
• Large pinch of fine fleur de sel, plus additional for assembly
• Ganache
• 1½ lbs. good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 Tbs. light corn syrup
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• Cake
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus more for dusting cake pans
• 1½ tsp. baking powder
• 1½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 Tbs. instant espresso powder
• 1¼ cups unsalted almonds, toasted, coarsely chopped

Directions

Step 1
To make caramel, stir sugar, water, and corn syrup in deep medium saucepan, over low heat, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium; cover pan and cook 4 minutes. Uncover, increase heat to high. Boil, without stirring, until syrup is deep amber, occasionally brushing down pan sides with wet pastry brush, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cream (mixture will bubble). Whisk in butter, crème fraîche, lemon juice, and pinch of fleur de sel. Cool completely. Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover; chill. Bring to room temperature before using.

Step 2
To make ganache, place chocolate in large bowl, along with corn syrup. In medium saucepan, bring cream to simmer. Pour cream over chocolate; let soften 1 minute. Whisk until chocolate is smooth. Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover; chill if not using right away. Bring to room temperature before using.

Step 3
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Line bottom of three 9-inch-diameter cake pans with parchment paper; butter paper and dust pan with coco powder and set aside.

Sift sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into bowl of freestanding mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment. Add milk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla, and beat at low speed, until blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. In small bowl, stir 1 cup hot water and espresso powder, to dissolve. Add to batter; beat until blended (batter will be thin). Divide batter evenly among prepared pans.

Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 10 minutes. Cut around cakes; turn out onto racks. Peel off parchment, and cool completely.

Step 4
To assemble, place 1 layer on platter or cake pedestal; using offset spatula, spread ½ cup room-temperature ganache. Spoon 3/4 cup ganache into pastry bag, fitted with ¼-inch plain round tip, and pipe a ring of ganache around edge of layer. Spread ¼ cup room-temperature caramel filling evenly inside ring. Sprinkle caramel with large pinch of fleur de sel and 1 Tbs. almonds. Top with second cake layer, and repeat with ganache, caramel fleur de sel, and almonds. Top with third cake layer and spread remaining ganache over top and sides of cake and sprinkle the top with another large pinch of fleur de sel. Press remaining almonds onto sides of cake. Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover with cake dome and chill. Let cake stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Notes

Fleur de sel is a type of hand harvested sea salt; available at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

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