Rich Dark Chocolate Cake

Instructions

For the Cake:

1. Preheat the Oven:
   Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour two 9-inch (23 cm) round cake pans or line with parchment paper.

2. Prepare Dry Ingredients:
   In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the sugar.

3. Mix Wet Ingredients:
   In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract.

4. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients:
   Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until smooth.

5. Add Boiling Water/Coffee:
   Slowly stir in the boiling water or coffee. The batter will be thin—that’s normal!

6. Bake:
   Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

7. Cool:
   Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

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For the Ganache (Optional):

1. Heat the cream in a saucepan over medium heat until it just starts to simmer (don’t boil).
2. Pour the hot cream over the chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.
3. Allow the ganache to cool slightly, then spread it over the cooled cakes.