This cake is no joke!

When I asked Sean what type of cake he wanted for his birthday, he said chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and I said, "done!" Although I have to admit I was a bit shocked because his usual flavor combination request is peanut butter and chocolate but hey the man requested so I had to oblige. This then meant finding the best recipe for chocolate cake and chocolate frosting, no easy feat I tell you. I looked through pinterest, did a search for best chocolate cake and the photos didn't make me salivate, rather it left me feeling so uninspired. How does that happen with Pinterest? I did manage to find two great recipes and I am not gonna lie both of these recipes will require some patience and time but the results are TOTALLY worth it. Stick with these recipes people and you won't go wrong. My issue when I have both chocolate cake and chocolate frosting is the sweetness factor, the combination was get really sweet really fast. I didn't want a dense chocolate frosting but a buttercream that was lighter and didn't leave me craving a glass of milk to take the edge off the sweetness.

To make the cake, first gather together your ingredients. 

1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup good cocoa powder (I used Dutch cocoa), 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup vegetable oil, 2 eggs room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 cup freshly brewed hot coffee.

For the buttercream, you need:

16 ounces bittersweet chocolate, 12 ounce semisweet chocolate, 3/4 cup egg whites (4-5 egg whites, room temperature), 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar, 1 1/2 pound butter, room temperature, 3 teaspoons vanilla extract, 3 teaspoons espresso powder dissolved in 1 1/2 teaspoon water. (I told you this recipe is no joke, feel free to half this buttercream recipe if desired, it makes plenty!)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your two 8 inch round cake pans, I greased the bottom of the pans with butter then laid parchment paper on top greased the paper then floured the pans (because it is a chocolate cake I am making I used cocoa powder instead of flour, just a hint!)

In your mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and cocoa powder.

Mix these dry ingredients gently. In another bowl, combine and mix the buttermilk, eggs, oil and vanilla extract.

Turn your mixer onto low and pour the wet ingredients on the side of the mixing bowl into the dry ingredients.

Once all the ingredients are full incorporated, slowly add in the coffee.

Scrap the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure the ingredients are completely mixed. Divide the batter between two pans and then bake for 35-40 minutes.
(I set my timer for 35 minutes and checked my cakes at 9 minutes til and they were done, just knew your oven). Your cakes are done when a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Remove the cakes and let them cool completely in the pan or in a rack before you frost them.

To make the frosting, chop up all the chocolate and in a double boiler or in a metal bowl placed over a sauce pan filled with some water, melt the chocolate completely then remove and let it cool to room temperature.

In your mixing bowl, gently mix the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar.

Add these ingredients to another metal bowl and heat them up over a sauce pan with water, just like you did to melt the chocolate. Heat up and stir the egg white mixture for about 5 minutes or until warm to the touch. You will cook the sugar granules during this process.

After the mixture is warm, return it to your mixing bowl and whip them up for about 5 minutes or until stiff peaks form.

After stiff peaks have formed, add the butter one tablespoon at a time to your meringue.

I'm not kidding about the butter being room temperature too, if it isn't room temperature set the butter aside until it is, trust me! After all of the butter has been added to your meringue, pour the cooled chocolate into the meringue along the side of the bowl.

Lastly, add in the espresso and vanilla extract. Then whip to thoroughly combine all the ingredients. If the buttercream is a bit runny, let it cool a bit before trying mixing a bit more.
Then frost your cake and serve, eat and enjoy!