Chocolate cake

• 1 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ⅔ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 1 large egg, room temperature
• ½ cup milk, room temperature
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup freshly brewed Boulangerie dark roast coffee 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

Chocolate ganache

• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 1-½ cups semi-sweet chocolate, roughly chopped

Coffee caramel

• ½ cup granulated sugar 
• ¼ cup heavy cream 
• ¼ cup unsalted butter 
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp finely ground Boulangerie dark roast coffee
• Flaky sea salt, optional 

Coffee sweetened condensed milk buttercream

• 1 cup unsalted butter 
• 1 cup sweetened condensed milk 
• 1-½ tsp finely ground Boulangerie dark roast coffee

For the chocolate cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 6-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.

2. In a stand mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, combine all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  

3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together egg, milk, vegetable oil, brewed coffee and vanilla extract.  

4. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and whisk until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.  

5. Pour cake batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 27-30 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean.  

6. Remove cake from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing from the pan and letting cool completely on a wire rack.  

For the chocolate ganache

1. Add chocolate to a medium heat-proof bowl.

2. Heat heavy cream over medium-low heat in a small saucepan until just simmering, don’t let it come to a boil.

3. Pour the cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1-2 minutes before whisking until smooth and glossy.

4. Let cool for at least 10 minutes, before covering with plastic wrap and chilling in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours or overnight. 

For the coffee sweetened condensed milk buttercream 

1. Add softened butter to a large bowl or stand mixer bowl and beat on medium-high speed for around 5-7 minutes or until very light and fluffy.

2. Add in sweetened condensed milk, ⅓ cup at a time, whisking well between each addition. Avoid adding too much condensed milk at once as it can split. In case it splits, keep beating on medium-high speed until it comes back together.

3. Add in ground coffee, whisk until combined and scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. 

For the coffee caramel

1. In a medium saucepan, add sugar and place over medium heat. Gently swirl the pan, as the sugar dissolves.

2. Continue cooking over medium heat, swirling the pan, until the sugar turns into a deep amber colour. Watch closely and avoid using any utensils.

3. Once the sugar has reached the deep amber colour, remove the pan from the heat, add in butter and carefully whisk until combined. It will bubble aggressively.

4. Stir in the cream and ground coffee, stirring until well combined. Add the pan back to the heat for a few seconds, if needed, to make sure everything is well combined and smooth.

5. Pour the caramel into a bowl and set aside until ready to use. 

Assemble the cake 

1. If needed, use a bread knife and trim the tops of the cake so they are flat and even.

2. Place the first layer of cake on a cake board or turntable, use a small dab of chocolate ganache to anchor the cake layer to the turntable or cake board.

3. Spread around ¼ cup of the chocolate ganache onto the first cake layer. Followed by around ½ cup of the buttercream. Smooth gently to avoid disturbing the chocolate ganache layer.

4. Stack the second cake layer on top, gently pressing down.

5. Add more buttercream to the top of the cake and spread a thin layer evenly across the top and on the sides. This will be your crumb coat.

6. Place the cake in the fridge and chill for around 15 minutes or until the thin layer of frosting is set.

7. Take the cake out of the fridge, and continue frosting the cake with another layer of buttercream, spreading evenly across the top and sides. Make sure to leave around ¼ cup of buttercream for the top.

8. Add the last bit of buttercream to the top, creating a small well.

9. Pour some coffee caramel into the well and spread evenly with a spoon. Sprinkle flaky sea salt over the caramel and serve.