Chocolate Layer Cake
Dark, moist crumb and glossy ganache — the birthday-cake benchmark, with hot coffee as the secret weapon.
Prep30 mins
Cook35 mins
LevelMedium
Serves10
This is the chocolate cake we make when it has to be perfect. Hot coffee blooms the cocoa for a deeper flavour (you won’t taste the coffee), buttermilk keeps the crumb tender, and a simple ganache beats fussy buttercream every time.
Ingredients
- 250g plain flour; 75g cocoa powder; 400g sugar
- 2 tsp baking soda; 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs; 240ml buttermilk; 120ml neutral oil
- 240ml hot strong coffee
- 200g dark chocolate; 200ml double cream (for ganache)
- Raspberries, to decorate (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 175°C/350°F. Line two 20cm round tins.
- Whisk the dry ingredients. Add eggs, buttermilk, and oil; beat smooth. Pour in the hot coffee — the batter will be thin, that’s correct.
- Divide between tins and bake 30–35 minutes until a skewer comes out with moist crumbs. Cool completely.
- For the ganache, pour hot cream over chopped chocolate, rest 2 minutes, then stir glossy. Cool to a spreadable thickness, then layer and coat the cake. Top with raspberries.
Club tip
Level the cake layers with a long serrated knife before stacking — flat layers stack straight and slice cleanly.
