• Preheat the oven to 180 (350f) and prep two 8-inch baking pans with cooking spray and parchment paper.
• Into a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sift the cocoa powder, add the baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, and granulated sugar, and mix with a whisk.
• Add the eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla extract, and mix with a whisk until almost combined.
• Add the hot coffee and mix until the batter is smooth and has no lumps of flour.
• Divide the mixture into two 8-inch baking pans, I suggest using cake strips for even baking. (weight the batter for better results) and bake in a preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (You can also use a 9-inch cake pan)
• Let the cake cool completely before frosting so the frosting won't melt off the cake.
• Once the cakes have cooled completely, take them out of the pan, and slice off the tops to create a flat surface. Crumble the tops to make tiny crumbs that we will use later in the recipe.
• Make the chocolate frosting: in a medium mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, and room temperature butter, sift the cocoa powder, add the vanilla extract and salt, and whip with an electric hand mixer for 1-2 minutes.
• Then, add the melted and cooled dark chocolate. Mix on high until the frosting is whipped and smooth.

Make the chocolate pudding

• Into a saucepan, add the milk, vanilla extract, kosher salt, granulated sugar, and dark chocolate, sift the cocoa powder, and add the cornstarch slushy (in a small mixing bowl mix the cornstarch and a little bit of water).
• Cook the mixture over medium heat mixing constantly with a whisk until the chocolate is melted and the mixture thickens up. This can take about 10 minutes so be patient.
• When the mixture thickens, add the butter, and mix until the butter is completely melted. Remove from heat and strain the mixture into a large bowl or baking pan to speed up the cooling process.
• Cover the top with plastic wrap so that the plastic wrap is directly touching the top of the frosting. This will prevent skin from forming.
• Let it cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, and then transfer it to the fridge to cool for another 1-2 hours. (depending on the thickness you are looking for)
• Or to make the process even quicker, place it in the freezer for 30 minutes to allow it to cool quickly.
• Lay the first cake layer on the surface you frost on. Use the chocolate frosting to create a border around the edges of the first cake layer.
• Then fill the middle with the chocolate pudding and smooth it out with a spoon or a spatula.
• Top with the second cake layer and frost the cake with the rest of the frosting.
• Press the chocolate cake crumbs on the sides of the cake and on the top if desired. Serve and enjoy!