Triple Chocolate Valentine Cake (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

01 - 1 3/4 cups (219g) regular flour

02 - 3/4 cup (62g) plain cocoa powder, unsweetened

03 - 1 3/4 cups (350g) white sugar

04 - 2 teaspoons baking soda

05 - 1 teaspoon baking powder

06 - 1 teaspoon salt

07 - 2 teaspoons espresso powder (skip if you want)

08 - 1/2 cup (120ml) canola oil

09 - 2 large eggs at room temp

10 - 2 teaspoons real vanilla extract

11 - 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk at room temp

12 - 1 cup (240ml) hot strong coffee

13 - 1 1/4 cups (282g) softened unsalted butter

14 - 3 1/2 cups (420g) powdered sugar

15 - 3/4 cup (65g) plain cocoa powder, unsweetened

16 - 3-5 tablespoons thick cream

17 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

18 - 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

19 - Semi-sweet chocolate bits (if you want)

01 - Heat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Coat two 9-inch cake pans with butter and put parchment on the bottom.

02 - Stir together flour, cocoa, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and espresso powder in a big bowl.

03 - Mix oil, eggs and vanilla in another bowl. Pour in buttermilk. Add this mix to your dry stuff along with hot coffee and stir till smooth.

04 - Pour half the mix in each pan. Cook for 23-26 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when poked in. Let cool completely.

05 - Whip butter till fluffy. Mix in sugar, cocoa, cream, salt and vanilla. Keep beating till it's nice and smooth.

06 - Trim cake tops if they're not flat. Stack with frosting between layers and cover the whole cake. Add chocolate bits on top if you want.

07 - Pop in the fridge for 30-60 minutes before cutting. You can eat it cold or let it warm up a bit.

01 - Don't use dutch-process cocoa, stick with natural

02 - Make sure everything's not cold from the fridge

03 - You can make this ahead and stick it in the freezer

04 - The coffee makes the chocolate taste even better