Ultimate Chocolate Layer Cake — Complete Recipe Sample

Instructions

Prepare the Cake Pans

1. 1Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease three 20 cm cake pans and line the bottoms with baking paper.

   

   💡 Use identical pans so the layers bake evenly.

2. 2Lightly dust the greased sides with cocoa powder instead of flour.

   💡 Cocoa prevents white marks on the finished cake.

Mix the Batter

1. 3Whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

   

   💡 Break up any cocoa lumps before adding the wet ingredients.

2. 4Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Mix on medium speed until combined.

   💡 Do not overmix after the flour is hydrated.

3. 5Slowly pour in the hot coffee while mixing on low speed. The batter will be thin.

   💡 Hot coffee deepens the chocolate flavor.

Bake and Assemble

1. 6Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 30–35 minutes.

   💡 Use a kitchen scale for equal layers and start checking at 28 minutes.

2. 7Cool the layers completely, prepare the frosting and stack the layers with frosting between them.

   

   💡 Apply a thin crumb coat and refrigerate for 20 minutes before the final frosting.

3. 8Cover the cake with the remaining frosting and decorate with chocolate shavings and berries.

   💡 Keep refrigerated until 30 minutes before serving.