Mollie Katzen's Chocolate Eclipse

Melt the Butter (2 Tbsp) and Unsweetened Chocolate (1/3 cup) together. I do this in a microwave using a microwave-safe dish.

In a separate saucepan, heat Buttermilk (2 cups) gently until just a little warmer than body temperature - being careful not to boil or cook it. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine All-Purpose Flour (2 1/2 cups) , Brown Sugar (1 cup) , Baking Powder (1 Tbsp) , Baking Soda (1 tsp) , and Salt (as needed) . Mix well, making as uniform a mixture as possible.

Pour melted chocolate and butter into dry ingredients. Pour in buttermilk and Vanilla Extract (1 tsp) . Stir until combined. Stir in Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips (1 cup) , if desired. Spread into the prepared pan.

Combine the remaining Brown Sugar (1 1/4 cups) with the Unsweetened Cocoa Powder (1/2 cup) (plus 2 Tbsp) in a small bowl. Sprinkle this mixture as evenly as possible over the top of the batter.

Pour on the boiling Water (2 1/2 cups) . It will look terrible, and you will not believe you are actually doing this, but try to persevere.