Preheat oven to 350

Prepare three 8″ round pans by spraying with cooking spray and lining the bottoms with parchment.

For the Cake: In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the dry ingredients of flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.  Stir in the eggs, and add the oil, buttermilk and water.  Once mixed, divide the batter between the 3 pans and bake for 25-30 minutes.  The cake should be set in the middle and spring back when lightly touched.  When baked, remove from oven and let set for 5-10 minutes before turning out of pans. Cool completely before filling and frosting the cake.

For the Filling: Mix 1/2 cup room temperature butter with 1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk.  Add the kosher salt and peppermint extract to incorporate.  Add the powdered sugar and mix until well combined.  The filling should be a bit more stiff than a typical buttercream to hold up under the layers of cake.

For the Frosting: For best results, use a stand mixer.  Blend the butter, vanilla, pinch of kosher salt and powdered sugar until light and fluffy.  I usually set the mixer and let it run for at least 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl periodically.

For the Ganache/Drip: Pour the cream into a medium microwave safe bowl* and heat until steaming (about 40 seconds in my microwave, but units vary).  Once warm, add the chocolate chips and allow to sit for a minute to melt.  Stir the cream and chocolate together until smooth and pourable.  Heat for a few seconds at a time additionally if needed.

To Assemble:  Place one layer of cake on a flat surface or cake board and pipe a ring of frosting along the outer edge to create a border.  Fill the middle with peppermint filling.  Stack the next layer of cake on top and repeat the frosting border/filling step.  Top with the 3rd cake layer.  For best results, cover the stacked cake with a thin layer of frosting (crumb coat) and chill for 15 minutes before adding the finishing frosting.  Once the cake is frosted, gently pour and spread ganache over the top of the cake.  To make things fancy, pipe rosettes along the top and add peppermint patty garnish.