• chocolate cake:
• 1¾ cups flour
• 1¾ cups sugar
• ¾ cups high quality cocoa
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ cup Oil canola or coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1½ tsp vanilla
• 1 cup hot water
• chocolate buttercream:
• 1½ cups butter, softened
• 1 cup cocoa
• 5 cups buttered sugar
• ⅓ cup half-n-half or milk
• 3 sticks of butter, softened
• 32 oz of powdered sugar
• a pinch of salt, to taste
• 3 Tbsp vanilla
• 3 Tbsp milk

Preheat oven to 350º.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar. cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. If you have a flour sifter. sift all dry ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, beat oil, eggs, buttermilk. and vanilla for 1 minute. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour in hot water and mix together. The batter will be liquidy but that's a good thing -it will create a moist cake.

Spray two 9-inch cake pans with non-stick cooking spray. You can also use three 8-inch cake pans for this recipe. Pour batter evenly into each pan.

Bake for 22 to 27 minutes. Place a toothpick or cake tester in the center of the cake to check if it comes out clean.

Let cool before frosting.

Skye's frosting:

Mix together in a stand mixer until smooth.