Cake Layers

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease two 9" round cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Add flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda to your mixing bowl (I use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment). Stir until combined.
  2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 cups sugar, 3/4 cup cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoon baking soda
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the oil, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.
  1/2 cup vegetable oil, 1 cup buttermilk, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir slowly until combined.
• Add the coffee slowly. Then mix on high for two minutes, scraping the sides halfway through.
  1 cup hot coffee
• Distribute the batter between the two prepared pans.
• Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. (A few moist crumbs sticking to the toothpick is fine, but you don't want it gooey).
• Cool for a few minutes. Run a butter knife around the outside of each pan, and turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack.
• Make one batch of Glossy Chocolate Frosting (recipe link below) and frost the cooled cake layers.