I will be doing a cake with the outside frosted in chocolate...should i use whipped ganache or chocolate buttercream? I am not looking to glaze the cake, i want it as thick frosting. thanks?

I use chocolate buttercream to ice my cakes, and whipped chocolate ganache only as a filling. The buttercream can withstand more where as the whipped ganache tends to break down easily.

Since it doesn't seem that you are going to be using fondant to cover your cake, I don't think it matters much. Just personal preference although I actually think the ganache tastes better. If you are using buttercream, just do a crumb coat with the same buttercream, then do your thicker top layer of buttercream. this will probably save you time and money.

HTH

Ganache always. I hate the taste of chocolate buttercream, ganache is amazing. Personal preference on which you use based on taste though!

I've never seen or heard of ganache breaking down??

This is my chocolate buttercream recipe. It's really yummy (recently won best tasting at a local competition with 40 different local Philadelphia bakeries and cake shops in attendance and this is what I used to ice the cake).

http://cakecentral.com/recipes/perfect-crusting-chocolate-buttercream/#comment-13631

I've tried it with other chocolate and I recommend you stick with the Ghiradelli and that you use the Hershey's special dark cocoa powder. It may seem like it doesn't matter, but it does. I didn't like it as much when I strayed away from the original recipe.

If you look in my album, you'll see cakes and cupcakes iced in brown. It's ALWAYS this recipe. It doubles as a filling and if you add a bit of peanut butter, you'll have peanut butter cup filling. (just chop some peanut butter cups and sprinkle them in before you stack) MMMMMMM yummy!

thanks everyone. I really appreciate it!

CakeInfatuation, thanks for sharing your recipe (I'm adding it to my CC favorites list as we speak) as it's less complicated than Toba's but with similar chocolately goodness.

If anyone is interested, JodyF's Amazing Chocolate Buttercream thread discusses Toba Garrett's chocolate buttercream recipe:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-81411-.html