Bitty's Chocolate Cake

Ingredients:

Cakes

• Butter, for greasing the pans
• 1 and 3/4 cups flour + extra for dusting pans
• 2 tbsp. sugar
• 3/4 cup good cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 cup of whipped sour milk
• 0.5 cups vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee
• Chocolate buttercream, recipe below

Chocolate cream

• 170 g dark chocolate
• 220 g of butter at room temperature
• 1 large yolk at room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 and 1/4 cups sifted powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp. dry instant coffee

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 175°C. Grease two 20cm cake pans with butter. Line them with parchment paper, then grease them again with butter and dust with flour.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on low speed until combined. In another bowl, combine the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. With the mixer running, add the coffee and mix, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, until a tester inserted into the pan comes out clean. Cool the cakes in the pans for 30 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack and cool completely.
3. Place one cake layer flat side up on a flat plate or cake stand. Using a knife or spatula, spread the frosting on top. Place the second cake layer, convex side up, on top and spread the frosting evenly over the top and sides of the cake.

4. Chocolate cream:

   
   Chop the chocolate and place it in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water. Stir until the chocolate melts, then set aside to cool to room temperature.
5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium-high speed until pale yellow and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and vanilla and continue beating for another 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Then beat at medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth. Dissolve the coffee in 2 teaspoons of hot water. With the mixer on low speed, fold in the chocolate and coffee. Do not overbeat! Spread the frosting immediately onto the cooled cake layers.