Chocolate Coffee Cake Layers (Print Version)

# Ingredients:

→ Chocolate Coffee Cake

01 - 2 cups (240 g) all purpose flour
02 - ¾ cup (60 g) Dutch process cocoa powder
03 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
04 - ½ teaspoon baking soda
05 - 1 teaspoon salt
06 - 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder
07 - ½ cup (118 ml) vegetable or canola oil
08 - ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, melted
09 - 1½ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
10 - ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar
11 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
12 - ¾ cup (180 g) sour cream, room temperature
13 - ½ cup (118 ml) milk, room temperature
14 - 2 teaspoons (10 ml) vanilla extract
15 - 1 cup (237 ml) very warm coffee

→ Chocolate Coffee Syrup

16 - 6 tablespoons (90 ml) water
17 - 6 tablespoons (75 g) granulated sugar
18 - ¼ cup (59 ml) brewed coffee
19 - ¼ cup (20 g) cocoa powder
20 - ½ teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Coffee Buttercream

21 - 3 tablespoons (45 ml) espresso (3 tablespoons instant espresso powder mixed into 1½ tablespoons warm water)
22 - 2 tablespoon (30 ml) heavy cream
23 - 20 tablespoons (283 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
24 - ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
25 - ¼ teaspoon salt
26 - 5-6 cups (600-720 g) powdered sugar

# Instructions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Lightly grease and line the bottom of two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt until well combined.
03 - In another large bowl, add the oil, melted butter, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, eggs, sour cream, milk, and vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
04 - Sift the dry ingredients into the wet, alternating with the warm coffee in this order: dry, coffee, dry, coffee, dry. Whisk each addition until just combined before adding the next.
05 - Evenly pour the batter into the prepared cake pans, about 675g per pan. Bake for 33-38 minutes. Cool in pans for 15 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely for 30-60 minutes.
06 - Whisk together water, brewed coffee, sugar, sifted cocoa powder, and vanilla extract in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes until thickened enough to coat a spoon and reduced to about ½ cup. Remove from heat to cool.
07 - Evenly trim the top crust off each cake layer if desired to help the coffee syrup penetrate better.
08 - Once the syrup has cooled to warm or room temperature, brush 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) over each cooled and leveled cake. Refrigerate cakes for 1-2 hours before frosting.
09 - Cream the softened butter until smooth, about 1-2 minutes on low speed. Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla extract, salt, brewed espresso, and heavy cream until well combined. Gradually add sifted powdered sugar ½ cup (60g) at a time, beating until incorporated. Once all sugar is added, beat on medium-high for 30-60 seconds until desired consistency is reached.
10 - Smear a small amount of frosting onto the serving plate. Place the first cake layer on top. Apply frosting to this layer, smoothing it across and slightly over the edges. Top with the second cake layer. Apply another layer of frosting to the top, smoothing it out along the sides to create a crumb coat.
11 - Refrigerate the assembled cake for 20-30 minutes to set the crumb coat before applying the final layer of frosting.

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