Classic Chocolate Layer Cake

Method

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1. Heat the oven to 175°C / 350°F. Butter three 20 cm tins, line the bases and dust with cocoa rather than flour.

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2. Whisk the cocoa into the boiling coffee until smooth and leave to cool to warm. It will look like thin mud and smell like the finished cake.

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3. Whisk the flour, both sugars, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

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4. Whisk the buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla together, then whisk in the cooled cocoa mixture.

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5. Pour the wet into the dry and whisk just until smooth. The batter will be very thin — pourable, closer to a crêpe batter than a cake batter. That is correct.

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6. Divide between the tins, about 480 g each, and bake 30 to 34 minutes until a skewer comes out with a crumb or two clinging.

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7. Cool in the tins 15 minutes, then turn out onto racks and cool completely, at least 1 hour. Warm layers will melt buttercream.

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8. For the buttercream, beat the butter alone for 5 minutes until visibly paler. This is the difference between silky and grainy.

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9. Add the icing sugar and cocoa in three additions, beating well, then the melted chocolate, cream and salt. Beat 3 minutes more.

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10. Level the layers with a serrated knife, stack with a generous 150 g of buttercream between each, then coat the outside thinly, chill 20 minutes, and finish with the rest.

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Chef’s Tips

• Weigh the batter into the tins. Layers of different thickness are the single most obvious sign of a home-made cake.
• Room-temperature eggs and buttermilk, genuinely. Cold dairy seizes the oil into specks that never disperse.
• If the buttercream splits, it is too cold: warm the outside of the bowl briefly and beat again.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• Out of buttermilk? Stir a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into the same amount of ordinary milk and let it sit five minutes before using.
• Double cream won't whip if you swap it, but for the cooking itself, full-fat crème fraîche or a lower-fat single cream works in its place.

Pairing Suggestions

• Cold milk
• Black coffee
• Raspberries, to cut the richness

Storage & Reheating

Under a dome at room temperature for 3 days; refrigerated for a week, but bring slices to room temperature before serving. Un-iced layers freeze, well wrapped, for 3 months.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.