Chocolate Ganache Or Chocolate Buttercream?
Decorating By tara7778 Updated 18 Nov 2011 , 8:19pm by JanH
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
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!
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
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