To Prepare Cake:
Preheat oven to 325. Spray and flour two 9" cake pans. (For easy cake release, line bottom of pans with parchment paper, sprayed and floured.) Cream sugar and shortening until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Stir in vanilla. Add melted, cooled chocolate. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Add dry ingredients to batter, alternating with buttermilk, until combined. Divide batter evenly between pans. Bake at 325 for 35-40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pans; remove and cool completely.
To Prepare Icing:
Combine butter, cream cheese, vanilla and salt. Beat until light and fluffy. Add powdered sugar slowly, beating on low speed. Stir in one tablespoon milk and melted chocolate. Beat until fluffy. Add additional tablespoon milk if needed. Frost cake.
To Prepare Chocolate Curls:
Make a small tray out of aluminum foil about the size of a candy bar. Melt chocolate chips in microwave for one minute. Stir, pour into tray, and chill in fridge until cooled and hardened. Peel off foil and hold bar gently in your hands to slightly soften. Using a carrot peeler, pare down the length of the bar to make a curl; drop onto top of cake. Repeat until cake is topped with pile of chocolate curls.
