Preheat and Prep: Turn on the oven to 350°F (no fan) and prepare three 8-inch cake pans by lining them with parchment paper and buttering them well.

Dry Ingredients: In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, white sugar, brown sugar, and salt. Whisk until it’s smooth.

Wet Ingredients: In another bowl, beat eggs, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and sour cream until smooth.

Combine: Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture in two batches. Stir gently each time, but don’t overmix.

Chocolate Mix: In a small bowl, combine cocoa powder and instant coffee. Pour boiling water over them, then whisk until smooth and shiny.

Finish Batter: Pour the chocolate mix into the main batter and fold it in until it’s rich and smooth.

Bake: Pour the batter evenly into the three cake pans. Bake for 22-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with just a few moist crumbs. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then move to a wire rack to cool fully. (For best results, chill the cakes in the fridge for an hour.)

Melt Chocolate: In a saucepan, melt the chocolate with corn syrup over a low flame, stirring constantly. Set aside to cool.

Mix Cream Cheese Base: In a mixing bowl, add room-temperature cream cheese, sifted cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and salt. Use a mixer on medium speed to mix until creamy.

Add Cream: Pour in heavy cream, then mix on low until fluffy, scraping the bowl halfway through to make sure everything is well combined.

Add Melted Chocolate: Once the chocolate has cooled (should be warm but not hot), slowly add it while mixing on low speed. The frosting may get a bit runny from the warm chocolate.

Cool Frosting: Let the frosting sit for about 30 minutes at room temperature until spreadable. You can refrigerate to speed up cooling. If it gets too thick, take a bit out, microwave it for a few seconds, and mix it back in.

Trim the Cakes: Once the cakes are fully cooled, slice off the rounded tops with a serrated knife for a flat, even surface.

Layer the Cake: Place one cake layer down, spread a thick layer of frosting on top, then repeat for the other layers.

Crumb Coat: Apply a thin layer of frosting around the entire cake to trap crumbs. Chill the cake in the fridge for 20 minutes.

Final Frosting: Spread the remaining frosting all over the cake generously.

Serve: For the best taste, serve at room temperature. To add a glossy finish, wave a blow dryer on the lowest setting about a foot away from the cake for a few seconds.