Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake with Espresso Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease five 8-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk the boiling water and cocoa powder until smooth. Set aside.

Beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed in the bowl of a standing mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in buttermilk and vanilla extract.

Reduce the speed to low and beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by half of the cocoa mixture. Repeat with another 1/3 of the flour mixture and the remaining chocolate mixture. Beat in the remaining flour mixture until just incorporated.

Divide the batter (using a 1 cup measure) and evenly pour into the prepared pans, smoothing the surface with a spatula. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Place the cakes (in the pans) on a wire rack to cool. Then invert the cakes onto a greased rack. Cool completely before frosting.

To prepare the buttercream, put egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water. Use an electric hand mixer to beat constantly until the sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites are hot. Remove from heat.

With whisk attachment, continue whipping the mixture in a standing mixer until thick, glossy, and cool.

Switch over to the paddle attachment. While mixing on medium speed, continuously add chunks of the softened butter until fully incorporated. Continue to mix until it has reached a silky smooth texture. If it curdles, keep mixing and it will come back to smooth. Add vanilla and salt and mix well.

Right before frosting the cake, add the espresso into the buttercream and beat for another 10 seconds. Reserve 1 cup of buttercream for piping on top.

To assemble the cake, place one cake layer on your serving plate and spread with 1/3 cup of the buttercream. Repeat this process until all cake layers are placed. Smear buttercream on top and sides of the cake. Garnish with the sliced almonds.

Use a large star tip to pipe a decorative border on the top edge of the cake.

Cover and refrigerate the cake. Leave out in room temperature for at least an hour prior to serving.