Chocolate Cake

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease two 6 inch cake pans, line them with parchment paper, then grease the parchment paper. Parchment paper helps the cakes seamlessly release from the pan. I usually grease it with nonstick spray. Set aside.
2. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together into a large bowl. To that add baking powder, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt. Whisk all of them together.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and oil for 2 minutes until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Beat until combined. 
4. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients about 4-5 tablespoons at a time and whisk until combined. Repeat until all dry ingredients are added. The batter will be thick. Don’t overmix, it’s okay if a few streaks of flour remain. 
5. To this, first pour in the buttermilk and mix until combined. Lastly, add boiling hot water and whisk until thoroughly combined. 
6. Divide the cake batter evenly and pour into prepared cake pans.
7. Bake for around 27-30 minutes or until a toothpick into the center of the cake comes out clean.
8. Allow cake to cool in the cake pan completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Cherry Jam

1. While the cupcakes are baking, pit your cherries using a cherry pitter. If you don’t have one, then read a hack in the FAQ section. 
2. Add pitted cherries, sugar & lemon juice to a heavy bottomed saucepan on medium heat. Stir using a spatula until all the sugar has completely dissolved.
3. The cherries will eventually become soft. Use your spatula to break them into small pieces.  
4. Allow the mixture to come to a boil & let it boil for around 10 minutes. 
5. Remove from heat and allow to cool a bit. 
6. Transfer to a mason jar & store cherry jam at room temperature for 3 months. 

Chocolate Ganache

1. While the cake is baking, prepare the chocolate ganache. 
2. In a large microwaveable bowl, add the roughly chopped chocolate. 
3. Microwave the mixture in 30 second intervals whisking vigorously in between. Repeat until the chocolate is completely melted. You can also use a double boiler or follow the ‘bain-marie’ method for doing this.
4. To this, pour in the fresh cream. Make sure it is at room temperature. Mix vigorously until you get a smooth and shiny ganache.
5. Lastly add in oil to bring it to the desired consistency before frosting.  

Cherry Buttercream

1. In a large bowl, add the softened butter & powdered sugar. Using a hand mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream together the butter & sugar until light & airy. 
2. Add in the fresh cream & vanilla. Beat again until combined. 
3. Lastly add in 2 tablespoons of cherry jam and mix. Add more until the desired colour is achieved.
4. Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with tip of your choice. I used a Wilton 1M for the swirl pattern shown on top of the cake here.  

Assembly

1. In order to evenly frost your cake, use a cookie scoop to add the prepared buttercream on top. Start by adding around 1 large scoop or ½ cup of frosting on top of the first layer.
2. Using an offset spatula, spread the frosting evenly on top of the cake. Pipe a wall of buttercream along the edge of the bottom layer. In between add the cherry jam. Top with the next layer. 
3. Scoop the frosting on the top layer and spread evenly using an offset spatula. 
4. Add around another or ½ cup of frosting around the cake using an offset spatula. This will be the crumb coat of the cake. Make sure not to put too much pressure and remove crumbs from the cake. 
5. Refrigerate for around 30 minutes t0 allow the crumb coat to set on your cake. 
6. Add around another ½ to 1 cup of frosting around the cake using an offset spatula to form a thick layer along the edges of the cake. You can use a cake smoother to smooth out the walls of the cake.
7. Smooth the top and edges using an offset spatula to form sharp corners. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for another 20 minutes.
8. Lastly, drizzle chocolate ganache along the sharp edges of the cake and on top of the cake. Pipe swirls of cherry buttercream on top & decorate with cherries if desired. 
9. Store cake in the refrigerator in an airtight container for upto 5 days.