Moist Dark Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS:

Cake:

1½ teaspoon baking soda

1¾ cups all purpose flour

2 cups granulated white sugar

¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

¾ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

1 cup buttermilk (or substitute by putting 1 tablespoon white vinegar in a cup then filling the rest up with milk; let stand 5 minutes until thickened)

½ cup butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 cup hot coffee (or 2 teaspoon instant coffee in 1 cup boiling water)

Frosting:

softened butter

unsweetened cocoa powder

icing sugar

a pinch of salt

vanilla extract

a splash of cream

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two 9-inch baking pans (or line with parchment paper circles) and set aside.

In the large bowl of a standing mixer, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract and beat until smooth (about 3 minutes). Remove bowl from mixer and stir in hot coffee with a rubber spatula. Batter will be very runny.

Pour batter evenly between the two pans and bake on middle rack of oven for about 35 minutes, until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached …