Preheat the oven to 350º F. Grease the bottom and sides of two or three 8 inch pans and line each pan with a parchment paper circle for easy cake removal. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, granulated sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.

In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the melted and cooled bittersweet chocolate, vegetable oil, eggs, buttermilk, hot coffee, and vanilla extract until combined.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Do not overmix.

Evenly divide the batter among the pans. If using 2 pans, that’s about 3 cups or 640-ish grams of batter per pan, if using 3 pans, that’s about 2 cups or 425-ish grams of batter per pan. If you have bake even cake strips, soak them, then secure them around the outside of the pans.

Bake 2 pans for 35-45 minutes or 3 pans for 30-37 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool for 20-30 minutes in the pans, then use a small spatula to loosen the cake from the edge of the pan. Remove the cake from the pans and allow them to cool completely on a cooling rack.

In a mixing bowl, beat the butter on high for 3 minutes.

Using 2 Tbsp of warm milk or hot coffee, dissolve 2 tsp of instant coffee / instant espresso granules, stirring until dissolved

Pour the coffee mixture into the butter and beat again until mostly combined.

Add salt and 3 cups of powdered sugar one cup at a time, mixing on low after each addition.

At this point, taste the frosting to determine if you want a stronger coffee flavor, if so add an additional 1-2 tsp of instant coffee / instant espresso granules. Taste as needed to determine if you want more powdered sugar, if so add 1-2 additional cups.

If needed, level the cooled cakes using a cake levered or serrated knife.

Spread a small amount of frosting on the bottom of your cake circle / serving platter, this acts as “glue” to prevent the cake from moving. Place one cake layer over the frosting. If making a 2 layer cake, measure 1 cup of frosting and evenly spread that on top of the first layer. Top with the second cake layer and spread another 1 cup of frosting on top of that layer. Use the remaining frosting around the sides and top of the cake. If making a 3 layer cake, put ¾ cup of frosting between the layers. If you want to pipe frosting swirls on the top of the cake, reserve 1 cup of frosting.

Once the cake is frosted, add the reserved frosting to a piping bag fit with a Wilton 1M tip. Pipe frosting swirls around the edge of the cake. Top with chocolate covered espresso beans. Dust with additional instant coffee / instant espresso granules if desired.