Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place rack in center position. Use a paper towel to butter sides of three 8" cake pans (if you use 9" pans it's not gonna work...just saying') and dust with cocoa powder (or flour, but cocoa powder will disappear). Use the bottom of cake pan to trace a circle on parchment paper, cut three 8" circles. Place parchment in bottom of pans and coat with butter and cocoa powder as well. Do not skip this step or you will have a really hard time getting cakes out of pans.

Place flour, salt and baking soda in bowl and whisk, set aside. Crack and separate eggs into a bowl and set aside. Place chocolate chips, cocoa powder and espresso powder in a medium sized bowl. Bring one cup water to boil. Measure ¾ cup boiling water and carefully pour over chocolate chips and cocoa powder. Let sit for a minute then whisk. Add plain sour cream and whisk more, set aside. Place butter, coconut oil and sugars in mixer and begin mixing on low speed. Add chocolate mixture to mixer with butter and sugars. Mix until well combined. Add vanilla paste and then eggs, one at a time, then add flour mixture. Once batter is combined, scrape sides of mixer, turn mixer to medium and mix for one more minute. Pour as evenly as possible into prepared cake pans and bake for 24 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. As soon as pan is cool enough to handle, use a knife to separate cake from edges of pan and CAREFULLY remove cakes and set on rack to cool domed side down. This will help flatten the cakes as they cool making them easier to stack. While cakes cool, make caramel.

Watch video linked above. Making caramel is very hot business! Have all your ingredients measured and ready to go and keep children away from area. Do not use a rubber spatula. It will melt.

Place sugar in a heavy bottomed fairly deep pan on med/high heat.

Use a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to push sugar around.

As sugar melts it will first start to clump, then crystallize and finally become liquid. This takes about five minutes.

When sugar is completely melted and the color of caramel, carefully add butter (watch video for tips).

The butter will bubble up…hence the fairly deep pan. Stir till butter is melted.

When butter is completely melted, turn off heat.

Carefully add cream in a slow and consistent drizzle while stirring. Whisk until smooth. Allow to cool 30-40 minutes or until caramel is pourable but thick. If you allow it to cool too long and it becomes too thick to pour you can always reheat a touch.

While caramel cools make ganache.

Place dark chocolate (chips or chopped bar) and a pinch of sea salt into a glass bowl.

Heat cream in saucepan until just boiling. Remove from heat and pour over chocolate.

Do not stir. Allow to steep untouched for 10 minutes, then whisk by hand till smooth.

Allow to sit on counter for 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes add powdered sugar and briskly whisk by hand for three minutes or use mixer for two minutes.

Peel parchment from the bottom of cooled cake and place first cake on a plate, flattest side down. Pour half the thickened caramel over cake. Take two pinches of course sea salt and sprinkle over caramel. Add second cake layer flat side down (be sure to remove paper!) and pour the remaining caramel on top, then add two pinches of sea salt. Add third layer (roundest side up) and pour ganache over cake, allowing it to drip over sides. You may not use all the ganache. Allow to sit till ganache firms. Cut and serve.