Best Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch-round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment paper, and grease paper. Dust the pans with cocoa; tap out extra.

Sift cocoa, sugar, flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into bowl of a stand mixer (or into a large bowl if using a hand-held mixer); whisk to combine.

Beat in hot water, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and eggs one at a time at low speed. Beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Pour batter into pans. Transfer to oven and bake, gently rotating pans halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.

Let cakes cool in pans on wire racks for 20 minutes before inverting to remove. Discard paper. Cool completely on racks, top side up. Cut off top of one layer.

Using an offset spatula or butter knife, frost top of trimmed layer. Place the other layer on top. Frost top and sides of cake.