Preheat the oven to 180 (350f) and prep two 8-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the flour, granulated sugar, kosher salt, baking powder, and baking soda, sift the cocoa powder, and mix with a whisk.
Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and eggs, and mix until almost combined.
Add the hot coffee and mix until just combined and there are no lumps of flour visible. The batter should be pretty runny and smooth.
Divide the mixture into two 8-inch baking pans, we suggest using cake strips for even baking. (weight the batter for better results) and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (You can also use a 9 inch cake pan)
Let the cake cool completely before frosting so the frosting won’t melt off the cake.
Start making the chocolate fudge frosting. Into a saucepan, add the butter, heavy cream, and dark chocolate, and sift the cocoa powder and powdered sugar, and kosher salt.
Heat all the ingredients over medium-high heat mixing constantly until the mixture is smooth and melted.
Strain the mixture into a large bowl or baking pan to speed up the cooling process.
Cover the top with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is directly touching the top of the frosting. This will prevent skin from forming.
Let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, and then transfer it to the fridge to cool for another 1-2 hours. (depending on the thickness you are looking for)
Remove the frosting from the fridge and assemble the chilled cake.
Pipe a small dollop of the frosting on the surface that you will frost on. Lay the first cake layer over the frosting dot.
Top the first cake layer with about ⅓ of the frosting and spread an even layer using a spatula.
Top it with the second cake layer. Frost the cake with the remaining frosting and make a wave pattern using an offset spatula. If it seems like it’s too much frosting, feel free to remove some and save it for your next chocolaty bake.
Notes
Don’t skip the coffee in the cake, you can’t taste the coffee, it simply enhances the chocolate flavor.
Use cake strips! Cake strips give you even and perfectly baked cake layers. Click here for the Amazon link.
Use room temperature ingredients. It is important that you use room-temperature ingredients like eggs and butter. This step ensures that your mixture mixes into a homogenous mixture and bakes perfectly. you don’t want to place cold batter into the oven.
Measure your flour correctly! When measuring your flour, avoid scooping it with a measuring cup. Instead, stir the flour with a spoon to create as many air pockets as possible, and spoon it into your measuring cup. Finally, level it with a back of a knife.
Don’t overmix the batter, you don’t want to develop the gluten in the flour. This step ensures you have a moist cake and not a dense and dry cake.
Line your baking pan with parchment paper! This step helps the cake to bake evenly, and it makes sure that your loaf cake will release easily from the pan.
Be patient! I know it’s extremely tempting to frost this cake as it is pulled out of the oven, but let the cake cool for at least 1 hour so it will be firmer and won’t crumble up, and prevent the frosting from melting.