Espresso and Lime

Chocolate Espresso Gateau Cake
1 Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
2 Prepare two 9 inch cake pans by lightly greasing and lining the bottoms with parchment paper. Set aside for now
3 Combine 9 ounces of cake flour, 2 cups of granulated sugar, 3/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of salt, 2 teaspoons of espresso powder in a large mixing bowl
4 Add 1 cup of buttermilk, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil, 2 large eggs, 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract into the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined
5 Add 1 cup of hot freshly brewed coffee and careful mix until the batter is smooth and thin
6 Divide the batter between two prepared 9 inch round cake pans
7 Tap the cake pans on the counter top to work any air bubbles to the surface
8 Bake on a center rack at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out from the center of the cake clean
9 Transfer the pans onto a cooling rack for 5 minutes before transferring the cakes directly onto the cooling rack to cool completely
Chocolate Espresso Cream Frosting
1 Whip 8 ounces of room temperature cream cheese in a stand mixer or large bowl using an electric hand mixer until it is smooth and creamy
2 Add 1/2 cup of room temperature butter and whip until combined
3 Add 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon of espresso powder and a pinch of salt and mix to combine
4 Gradually add 2 cups of confectioners sugar while mixing on low speed
5 If the frosting becomes too tight, add a few tablespoons of heavy cream until you achieve your desired consistency
6 Taste and add the remaining confectioners sugar if you want the frosting to be sweeter
Assembly
1 Use the chocolate espresso cream frosting to frost the cooled cakes
2 Garnish with semi-sweet chocolate shavings
3 Store in an airtight container at room temperature