Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 8 inch cake pans with nonstick spray and then line with parchment and spray again. (totally worth the extra effort)

Cake: In a large bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder and whisk together. Set aside.

In a stand mixer on low to medium speed, mix the oil, eggs, Hiland Dairy Sour Cream, Buttermilk, and vanilla until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time, and mix on low after each addition until all combined. Slowly add the hot coffee and mix on low until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand.

Pour the batter into each pan evenly between the three pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely.

Mousse: In a medium bowl, whisk together the hot water and cocoa powder. Set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl, add the chopped chocolate and microwave in 30 second increments until smooth and melted. Pour the melted chocolate into the cocoa/water mix and stir together until combined.

Using a handheld or stand mixer, whisk together the Hiland heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract together until medium peaks form. About 3 minutes of mixing.

Pour the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream mixture and fold together until combined and smooth. Careful not to over mix. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Cake assembly: Use a serrated knife to cut cakes in half if you want several layers or just cut tops off of each cake to level them out.  Place the bottom layer on a cake board or stand. Scoop chocolate mousse on the layer and spread out evenly. Top with the next layer and repeat with the mousse and the remaining layers. Use an offset spatula to spread the mousse around the sides of the cake too to create a crumb coat or a naked cake look. Refrigerate until ready to do the chocolate ganache layer.

Ganache: In a medium bowl, add the chopped chocolate pieces. Set aside. Heat the Hiland Heavy Cream in the microwave or on the stovetop until hot but not boiling. Pour the heavy cream over the chocolate pieces. Do not stir. Let it sit for 3 minutes and do not touch.

After 3 minutes, stir the chocolate and heavy cream together until smooth and all combined. Let sit for 15 minutes and then pour chocolate ganache over the top of the cake and let it drizzle over the edges.

Serve immediately or later. Tastes amazing chilled or at room temperature.