Okay, confession time.  I almost never buy buttermilk.  I hate to waste the rest of the carton when I only need a small amount.  For this recipe, if you’d rather make your own sour milk instead of buying buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon white vinegar in a measuring cup and add whole milk to equal 1 cup).

You can use a large spoon to spoon the ganache over the cake.  A chef friend of mine recently bought me a funnel pitcher, and with its long spout, it does an excellent job of allowing me to control the flow of the ganache and where it goes.  Love this tool.  Inexpensive and so helpful.  Great for pancake batter or pouring cupcake batter as well.

For the coffee, use brewed coffee or add instant coffee granules, or espresso powder to hot water.

A word about Bundt pans.  I’m a huge fan of Nordic Ware cake pans.  They’re quality baking pans that allow your cakes to bake evenly and will stand the test of time.  For this cake, I use the 12-cup Anniversary pan, but you could use any one of their beautiful pans.  Just note that some of their shapes have a slightly smaller batter capacity, so you might have extra batter with this recipe.  Don’t fill your cake pans to the top, as you’ll need to allow for room when the cake rises.  If you ever find yourself with extra batter, make a few cupcakes with it.

Greasing your cake pans:  Be careful about using regular cooking spray.  Sometimes it can leave a residue on your pan that’s next to impossible to wash off.  I like Baker’s Joy, which has flour in the spray.  It won’t leave residue on your pan.

Recommended tools and equipment:  Nordic Ware 12-cup Anniversary Bundt pan, Norpro funnel pitcher, Baker’s Joy nonstick spray, stand mixer or handheld electric mixer, cake tester, heatproof bowl.