To make the Devil's Food Cake:

1. Adjust a rack to the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan, line the bottom with wax paper or baking parchment, and butter and flour the paper.

2. Combine the chocolate, hot coffee, and cocoa powder. Whisk until the chocolate is melted and reserve.

3. Beat the butter until pale yellow. Add the sugar and beat several minutes until very light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat to mix in.

4. Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together and add to the butter mixture, alternating with the cooled coffee mixture. Pour into the prepared springform pan. Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool slightly on a wire rack, invert, remove the pan and paper, and allow to cool completely. The cake should be about 1-1/2 inches high. Slice the cake laterally into three 1/2-inch layers and set aside.

To make the Bittersweet Chocolate Marquise:

5. Melt the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water. Whisk until smooth. Whisk the coffee extract and the egg yolks into the chocolate mixture and reserve.

6. In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy. Add the cream of tartar, increase the speed to high, and beat until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, continuing to beat until stiff but not dry.

7. Fold one-quarter of the whites into the chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the remaining whites. Divide in half and spread the filling between the cake layers. (You will have a 3-layer cake with 2 layers of chocolate filling.)

8. Wrap tightly and refrigerate for a few days, or freeze for longer storage. To defrost, remove from the freezer and place, fully wrapped, in the refrigerator overnight.

To make the Coffee Crème Anglaise:

9. Bring the half-and-half and coffee beans to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Turn off the heat and let steep for 10 minutes.

10. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks together until blended. Place the bowl on top of the saucepan with the hot half-and-half mixture and whisk the egg mixture until the sugar dissolves. (The slight heat from the saucepan below will make the sugar dissolve more quickly and will create a more stable egg mixture.)

11. When the 10 minutes are up, pour a small amount of the coffee mixture into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Gradually pour all the coffee mixture into the egg mixture. Then return to the saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, over medium-high heat until the cream thickens. This should take less than a minute. Do not allow the mixture to boil. Strain, cover, and cool quickly in the refrigerator.

12. When the crème anglaise is cool, stir in the coffee extract and the salt. Return it to the refrigerator to chill until serving time. The crème will keep several days.

To make the Coffee Cream Topping:

13. Whip the heavy cream, sugar, and coffee extract until fluffy and thick. Generously frost the sides and the top of the cake. At this point the frosted cake may be refrigerated again and held up to 24 hours before serving, preferably covered (if you have a box or plastic container large enough). Garnish with the Chocolate Cornflake Crunchies, if using, just before serving.

To make the Chocolate Cornflake Crunchies:

14. In a 4-cup glass measure, combine the chocolate morsels and shortening. Pour warm water (100 to 110 degrees) into a mixing bowl and set the glass measure in the bowl. The water should come up to the 2-cup mark. Stir the chocolate almost constantly with a rubber spatula until it melts. This could take 15 to 20 minutes. (Do not splash any water into the chocolate or it will seize and become grainy.) As the water in the bowl becomes cool, replace it with more very warm water. When the chocolate is completely melted, it is ready to use. Remove the chocolate from the bowl of water and carefully wipe the measuring cup dry with a towel.

15. Gently stir in the cornflakes. Keep stirring and folding until they're evenly covered with chocolate.

16. Spread out in nice bite-size chunks on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Refrigerate until hard.

17. Place the crunchies in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator. Don't put them on the finished cake until just before serving, because they will become soggy after a few hours. Crunchies will keep about a week.

To assemble and serve:

17. Spoon some of the crème anglaise on each dessert plate and place a slice of cake on top, or spoon the crème anglaise around each slice.

As directed in Step 5, melt the chocolate and the 1/4 lb butter together, adding the 1 tbsp butter. Pasteurize the yolks using 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the 1 teaspoon water, and continue with the directions in Step 5. Beat the whites with the remaining 4 tablespoons sugar and the cream of tartar as directed in Step 6.