Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line and grease two 6-inch cake pans with parchment paper rounds and butter. Set aside.
Step 2
Whisk the eggs, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl until sugar has begun to dissolve and the mixture looks glossy and pale brown, about 2 minutes. Add the oil, buttermilk, and vanilla and stir again until combined.
Step 3
Sift in the baking soda, baking powder, flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Gently whisk the dry ingredients into the wet.
Step 4
In a mug or heat proof measuring glass, mix the hot water and instant espresso powder and add it to the batter. Give the batter one final stir until the consistency is homogenous.
Step 5
Equally divide batter into the prepared cake pans. Gently drop or tap the cake pans on the counter, allowing any excess air bubbles to pop. Place cakes in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top of the cakes spring back when poked. Let cool in the pan for 20 minutes and then gently invert cakes onto a wire cooling rack.
Cakes can be made up to 2 days in advance. Wrap tightly in plastic and store in the fridge. For more than 2 days, double wrap cakes and store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Step 1
In a medium sized saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, and salt until the sugar granules break up any lumps of cocoa powder and cornstarch. Add cardamom pods to the dry mix and set aside.
Step 2
Separate egg yolks into a medium sized bowl. Add the milk and whisk until the egg yolks are completely broken down and cohesively mixed in with the milk.
Step 3
Pour the milk mixture into the saucepan of dry ingredients and set the saucepan on medium heat. Immediately begin to whisk the mixture, making sure to scrape the bottom of the saucepan as you mix. Continue to whisk over medium heat until the pudding begins to thicken and produce bubbles in the center, about 5-6 minutes. Once the whisk begins leaving visible traces in the pudding, remove the saucepan from the heat.
Step 4
Immediately stir in the butter, chopped chocolate, and vanilla extract, stirring to combine.
Step 5
Pour and strain the chocolate pudding through a large sieve into a large glass baking dish or bowl in order to catch the cardamom pods and any lumps. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the plastic covers the entire surface of the pudding so as to prevent a “skin” from air exposure. Store pudding in the fridge until completely thickened and cooled, about 3 hours and up to 48 hours.
Step 1
With a serrated knife, slice each cooled cake into 2 layers, creating a total of 4 cake layers. Feel free to snack on one of the layers and only use 3 layers for the final cake. Or use all four if you want an extra tall cake!
Step 2
Using an offset spatula, spread ⅓ of the chocolate pudding onto the first layer of cake, leaving a ¼ inch margin around the perimeter to allow the pudding to spread when the next layer is stacked. Place the second cake layer on and repeat, using another ⅓ of the chocolate pudding. Place the third cake layer on top. Use the final ⅓ of pudding to spread around any gaps or cracks around the top and sides of the cake. Place assembled cake in the fridge for an hour to set before finishing with glaze.
Step 3
Make the glaze: Place chopped chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. Simmer heavy cream in a small saucepan on medium heat until bubbles form and pop near the edges of the saucepan and steam rises from the cream. Pour cream over the chocolate and let it sit for 3 minutes. Add the butter and whisk the glaze until chocolate is fully incorporated into the cream and no streaks remain. Continue whisking until the glaze has thickened and is shiny. It is ready when you raise the whisk and thick ribbons of glaze fall back into the bowl and slowly disappear. If they do not disappear at all, the glaze has thickened and cooled too much. If the ribbon is runny, whisk until the mixture thickens.
Step 4
Remove the assembled cake from the fridge and set on a wire rack over a sheet pan. Slowly pour the glaze in a circular motion onto the top of the cake, ensuring an even pour down the sides of the cake. Pause and assess the momentum of the glaze and continue to pour in any uneven areas, or on the top center of the cake (this will push the glaze down further on the sides of the cake). You can spread excess glaze around the sides of the cake using an offset spatula. Let the glazed cake continue to set in the fridge for another hour. Once chilled, decorate the cake with dainty raspberries, strawberries, or cherries.
Step 5
Remove decorated cake from the fridge 15 minutes before serving. Slice and serve no more than an hour after removing the cake from the fridge.
