Dark Chocolate and Orange Cake

1. Begin with greasing 3 x 18cm (7inch) or 2 x 20cm (8 inch) round cake tins. Preheat the oven to 325F (160C).
2. Cream your room temperature butter with the sugar, until it's pale, light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each egg. Add in buttermilk.
3. Mix the dry ingredients together: flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Using a spatula, fold in the flour mixture into the butter mixture a small amount at a time. This helps keep the sponge fluffy. Stir in the melted and slightly cooled chocolate, orange extract and zest of one orange.
4. Pour equal amounts of batter into the cake tins, smooth out with the back of a spoon. Bake for around 35-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Cool completely on a cooling rack.

Buttercream Frosting

1. Meanwhile, make the frosting. Beat your room temperature butter until it's pale, light and fluffy. Beat in your powdered sugar, orange extract and orange juice.
2. Optional: Divide the buttercream into two bowls, 3/4 in one and 1/4 in the other. In the largest bowl, add in the slightly cooled melted chocolate, mix in completely. You can color the other bowl with orange if you want. Or you can simply add all of the chocolate into one bowl and make just one color buttercream!

Assembling

1. When the cakes are completely cold, level them if needed. Take a serrated knife and cut them level. If you used the 2 x 8" pans, I would also slice the cakes in half, creating 4 layers instead of 3.
2. Spread equal amounts of chocolate buttercream on each layer and on top of the cake, reserve some for decoration. Place the reserved buttercreams in two piping bags with a round tip. Pipe droplets around the edges of the two (or three) lower layers. Decorate using the piping bags as you wish!
3. Keeps 3 days on the counter and about 1 week in the fridge in a cake carrier or something completely enclosed. Best to let it come to room temperature before eating.