Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease three 6-inch round baking pans, dust them with cocoa powder, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine all dry ingredients and stir to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all wet ingredients. Slowly pour in the hot coffee to avoid cooking the eggs.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 2-3 minutes. The batter will be thin.
- Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans. Use a kitchen scale to ensure even distribution.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out mostly clean.
- For the buttercream, place egg whites and sugar in the bowl of your stand mixer and whisk to combine.
- Place the mixer bowl over a pot with 1-2 inches of simmering water. Stir constantly with a whisk until the mixture is hot and no longer grainy to the touch, or reaches 160F on a candy thermometer (about 3 minutes).
- Place the bowl back on your stand mixer. Whisk on medium-high speed until the meringue is stiff and cooled (the bowl will no longer be warm to the touch, approximately 5-10 minutes).
- Switch to the paddle attachment (optional). Slowly add the cubed butter and mix until smooth.
- Add the vanilla extract, melted dark chocolate, and espresso powder mixture. Whip until smooth.
- For the ganache drip, finely chop the dark chocolate and place it in a bowl. Heat the heavy cream just until it barely simmers, then pour it over the chopped chocolate. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 2 minutes. Stir gently with a spatula until combined and smooth. Allow it to cool and thicken slightly before using.
- Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer on a cake stand or serving plate. Top with approximately 2/3 cup of frosting and spread evenly. Repeat with the remaining layers. Apply a thin coat of frosting all over the cake and chill for 20 minutes.
- Frost and smooth the sides of the cake. Chill for another 20 minutes.
- Using a small spoon, place dollops of ganache around the top edges of the cooled cake, allowing some to drip down. Fill in the top of the cake with more ganache and spread evenly with an offset spatula.
Nutrition
Notes
For the meringue, ensure there are no traces of egg yolks in your whites and that your mixer bowl and whisk are completely grease-free. The buttercream may appear curdled at some point; continue mixing until it is completely smooth. The ganache can be made in advance and stored overnight. If it becomes too thick, microwave it for 5-10 seconds and stir until it reaches the desired consistency.