In a 3-4 quart saucepan, over medium-high heat, add the milk and bring to a temperature of 170*-180* F and you have tiny bubbles forming along the edges of the saucepan. You are scalding the milk, not bringing it to a boil. Remove from the heat.

In a large mixing bowl whisk together the granulated sugar and cornstarch until fully combined and no lumps from the cornstarch remain. Whisk in the egg yolks by hand for 1-2 minutes or until smooth.

Slowly drizzle in ½ cup of the warm milk while whisking vigorously. Add another ½ cup warm milk while whisking vigorously again. This is to temper the egg yolks so they do not scramble when added to the sauce pot and cooked.

Place the saucepan with the remaining warm milk back to the stovetop, over medium-high heat, and slowly pour the egg mixture into the pot while whisking constantly.

Cook the pastry cream mixture for 8-10 minutes, while whisking constantly to avoid burning, or until the mixture comes to a rolling boil and thickens quite a bit. The pastry cream will get very thick very quickly once it comes to a boil so do not walk away from the saucepan on the stove.

Cook for an additional 30 seconds - 1 minute once it thickens then remove from the heat.

Add the cubed unsalted butter and vanilla extract and whisk vigorously until the butter is fully incorporated and the pastry cream is thick and smooth.

Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap, being sure to place the plastic wrap directly onto the entire surface of the pastry cream. This will prevent a skin from forming on the surface of the pastry cream while it cools.

Refrigerate the pastry cream for 2-4 hours, or until fully chilled before adding to the cooled cake layers for assembly.

Preheat oven to 325* F. Spray 2 - 9 inch round cake pans with baker’s spray and line each pan with a piece of parchment round. Set aside.

In a small bowl combine together the all-purpose flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium-high speed, beat the granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla extract for 3-4 minutes or until thick and fluffy.

In a small bowl, with a pour spout (a 2 cup glass measure cup works great for this) whisk together the warm milk and melted butter. With the mixer on low speed, slowly drizzle the warm milk mixture into the large bowl of beaten eggs until fully incorporated.

With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture slowly to the bowl and mix just until all the flour has been fully incorporated. Your cake batter should resemble pancake batter without any lumps.

Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Bake for 30-33 minutes or until lightly golden around the edges and the center is set. A toothpick inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pan for 10 - 15 minutes before turning them out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Be sure to remove the parchment paper from the bottom of each cake layer while cooling.

In a medium, microwave safe, bowl add the chopped bittersweet chocolate and heavy cream. Be sure that the chocolate is covered by the heavy cream, and microwave on high for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and let sit for 1 minute.

Add the clear corn syrup and vanilla extract to the melted chocolate and whisk until smooth.

Allow the chocolate glaze mixture to cool for 15-20 minutes in the bowl before pouring over the top of the assembled cake.

Place one of the cake layers onto a large cake plate.

Spread the chilled pastry cream into an even layer over the first cake layer. If your pastry cream is very thick from a long chill, be sure to whisk it for 1-2 minutes to loosen it up to a spreadable consistency before adding to the cake.

Top the pastry cream with the second cake layer. Be careful to not press too hard as you do not want the pastry cream to come out the sides of the cake.

Slowly pour the chocolate glaze into the center of the top cake layer. It is ok if some of the chocolate glazes drips down the sides, but you do not want to cover the sides completely as you want to be able to see the layers.

Slice and serve the cake while the pastry cream is still chilled.