Cream the butter and sugars together for a good few minutes until pale and fluffy.
200 g unsalted butter, 150 g golden caster sugar, 125 g dark muscovado sugar
Beat in the cocoa until well combined.
50 g cocoa powder
Beat in the eggs one by one, adding a little flour if the mixture looks like curdling.
4 large eggs
Sieve in the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and fold in alternately with the coffee until just combined.
250 g flour, 1½ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt, 100 ml strong black coffee
Divide between three 20 cm (8") cake pans (you will need to grease and line these if not silicone).
Bake at 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4) for 25 minutes.
Leave in the pans to cool for ten minutes or so, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the Buttercream Icing
Melt the chocolate in a bowl sitting over a pan of hot water - make sure the pan doesn't touch the water. Allow to cool slightly.
100 g dark chocolate
Cream the butter and icing sugar together until light and fluffy, then beat in the syrup and cocoa.
200 g unsalted butter, 225 g icing sugar, 2 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp golden syrup
Beat in the coffee, followed by the chocolate.
2 tbsp strong black coffee
For the Chocolate Glaze
Place all of the ingredients into a small pan and set over a low heat until the chocolate has melted.
50 ml double cream (heavy cream), 1 tsp golden syrup, 10 g unsalted butter, 100 g dark chocolate
Stir until smooth and allow to cool a little.
To assemble
Spread the buttercream equally over the top of the three cakes, then stack them one on top of the other.
Pour the glaze over the top layer of buttercream. Spread it to cover the top, allowing some to drip down the sides.
Decorate as wished or leave plain.
Notes
Adapted from Will Torrent's, Chocolate at Home.Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on serving size and exact ingredients used. Please refer to my nutrition disclaimer for further information.