First, preheat the oven to 375 F. Generously rub butter all over the inside of your two or three cake pans. Now place around a tablespoon of flour into one of the pans. Moving around in the circle, tap the pan so the flour coats the bottom and sides of the pans evenly. Now tap all of the excess flour into the next pan and repeat this process. If you are using a third pan, repeat this again, otherwise, tap out any extra flour into the sink. Now line each cake pan with parchment paper on the bottom. To do this, cut a piece of parchment paper at least the size of the cake pan and fold it in half. Now fold it in half again. Now fold the triangle again and hold it over the cake pan so the corner reaches the center. Cut the outer edge of the paper so it matches the curve of the circular pan, unfold the parchment and it should fit in the bottom perfectly. If you are making cupcakes, line your cupcake pan with paper liners.

To make the batter, in a large, dry bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a separate medium bowl whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla, and hot coffee. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk together until the batter is incorporated. Pour the batter evenly between your pans or into your cupcake liners. Bake for 20-25 minutes (for a cake) and 15-20 minutes (for cupcakes), or until a small knife or skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool for 15 minutes before carefully inverting them onto a large plate lined with parchment paper. The way I like to do this is to place a piece of parchment paper on top of the cake. Place a large plate over the parchment paper and while holding everything tightly together, carefully flip it over. Remove the cake pan and parchment paper stuck to the bottom of the cake. Let the cake cool completely before layering and frosting.

Once the cakes are cool, lay one cake on a platter or pedestal and generously frost the top. Repeat this with the remaining layers and then frost the entire outside of the cake. Enjoy!