1-3/4 (224g) cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Hershey’s Cocoa
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup strong black coffee
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mint Buttercream

½ cup (125 g) unsalted butter, softened
1½ cups (210 g) icing sugar, sifted
green gel food colouring
2 tsp peppermint essence

Chocolate Glaze

7 (11 g/¼ oz) gelatine sheets
1 cup (220 g) caster sugar
⅔ cup (75 g) cocoa powder
100 ml thick (double) cream
½ cup (125 ml) water
50 g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

Decorations

2 tbsp apricot jam, sieved
2 gummy spearmint leaves or sugar roses

To make Chocolate Cake

Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and flour three 7-inch round baking pans

Stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt in large bowl. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla; beat on medium speed of mixer 2 minutes (Batter will be thin). Pour batter evenly into prepared pan. 

Bake 30-40 minutes until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen cake from side of pan and remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely

To make Mint Buttercream

To make the mint buttercream, using an electric mixer, beat the butter until pale and creamy.

Add the icing sugar, one large spoonful at a time, beating constantly until smooth and combined. Tint with the green colouring until the desired shade is reached. Add a small amount of the peppermint essence and beat until combined. Continue adding the peppermint essence until you’re happy with the taste.

To make Chocolate glaze

For the glaze, put the gelatine in a shallow bowl of cold water to soften for 5 minutes.

Combine the sugar, cocoa, cream and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir until melted, then bring to the boil, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until melted. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes. 

Squeeze any liquid from the gelatine sheets and stir into the chocolate mixture until dissolved. Pour through a sieve into a bowl. Transfer the glaze to the fridge to cool and thicken for about 1 hour or until it reaches the consistency of thick mayonnaise.

To assemble

To decorate, working on a cake turntable or lazy Susan, use an offset spatula to cover the top of the bottom layer of cake with a generous amount of buttercream, spreading it right to the edge. Place the second layer of cake on top and gently press down to secure. Use an offset spatula to smooth the excess buttercream so that it very lightly covers the side and gives a smooth edge.  Gently warm the apricot jam and lightly brush it over the cake, covering the side and top. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Place the chocolate glaze in a heatproof bowl and gently stir over a pan of simmering water (or microwave at 20-second intervals, stirring after each) until melted. Allow to cool slightly for 5–10 minutes. Transfer the chilled cake to a wire rack sitting on a large baking tray to catch any excess glaze. Pour the glaze over the cake, making sure it completely covers the cake. Use an offset spatula to carefully smooth over the top and side, if needed. Leave the cake to set for an hour or so, then carefully transfer to a cake stand or cake board. Decorate the cake with gummy spearmint leaves or fondant roses. Enjoy!