Chocolate Chiffon Layers:

Preheat the oven to 340 F (170 C). Separate 6 eggs into yolks and whites, and let them come to room temperature - about 30 min. Line two 9" round cake pans with parchment paper. If you have cake strips, soak them in water and place them around each pan. Prepare 3/4 cup of strong hot coffee (prepare coffee using whichever method you usually do for drinking) and add in 1/2 cup of cocoa powder. Mix well and let it cool.

In a large bowl, sift together 1 1/2 cups cake flour, 2 tsp baking *soda*, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, and 1 tsp of salt. Add in the 6 room temperature egg yolks, 2/3 cup of canola or vegetable oil, 2 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 tsp finely grated orange zest, and the prepared coffee/chocolate mixture.

Beat with an electric mixer or by hand just until smooth and well blended.

In a separate bowl, beat the 6 room temperature egg whites and 1 tsp cream of tartar on high speed until frothy. Very slowly add in 2/3 cup granulated sugar, and beat until glossy stiff peaks are formed. Gradually and very gently fold in this meringue into the cake mixture until very well combined. Divide the batter equally into the two prepared round cake pans.

Bake in your preheated oven at 340 F (170 C) for about 35 to 45 minutes or until the cake springs back when touched lightly at the center. Immediately invert the round cake pans onto wire racks, and let it rest for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, it should be easy to lift off the pan and peel off the parchment paper. Let your cakes cool completely to room temperature on the wire racks

Cream Filling and Frosting:

In the bowl of the stand-mixer, add in 8 oz of room temperature cream cheese, 2/3 cup of granulated sugar, 2 tsp of vanilla extract, and an optional 2 tbsp of dark rum. Then using a paddle attachment, beat them together till the cream cheese has softened and the mixture is smooth. Scrape down the bowl for any unmixed cream cheese.

Then while beating on medium speed, slowly add in 3 cups of very cold heavy cream, and continue to beat for about 2 minutes, until the cream cheese and heavy cream are combined and uniform. Stop the mixer and scrape down the paddle attachment and the bowl. Mix for another 1 minute.

Switch to a whisk attachment, and continue beating on medium-high speed until the mixture forms very stiff peaks. Leave this frosting in the fridge till you're ready to use it.

Coffee-Liqueur Cake Soak:

Prepare 1/3 cup of espresso - we use 1/3 cup boiling water + 2 tsp espresso powder (substitute with 1/3 cup prepared espresso or just 1/3 cup strong-brewed coffee). Let this cool to room temperature

When the espresso mixture has cooled down to room temperature, add in 1 tbsp of dark rum. Mix together to combine.

Assembling the Cake:

Place a cake board on a revolving cake stand. Place the first layer of cake in the center of the cake board. Using a pastry brush, generously moisten this base layer with 1/2 of the coffee-liqueur cake soak mixture.

Then spread about 1/3 of the cream frosting mixture on top, creating an even and flat layer as much as possible, about half an inch thick of cake filling.

Place the second layer of chocolate chiffon on top. Like before, use a pastry brush to moisten this second layer of cake with the remaining coffee-liqueur cake soak mixture.

Cover the sides of the cake with a thin layer of the white cream frosting, and then the same thing with the top of the cake. Use a bench scraper to smoothen out this thin crumb coat while rotating the revolving cake stand. This thin crumb coat should catch any crumbs. Place this cake in the fridge for 20 minutes for the crumb coat to firm up a bit. Also place the unused cream frosting in the fridge.

When the crumb coat has hardened, apply a final layer of the white cream frosting around the sides of the cake, as well as the top. And again, use the bench scraper to smoothen out the surfaces as much as possible while rotating the revolving cake stand. You can use the remaining cream frosting at this point.

If you have an icing comb, you can create a pattern on the outside surface of the frosting at this point. I'm just using the icing cake to create a pattern around the sides of the cake. Place this assembled cake in the fridge for a minimum of 2 hours for the cream frosting to firm up before pouring the chocolate glaze.

Chocolate Glaze:

Set up a double boiler over simmering water. Add 4 oz of semi-sweet chocolate (about 2/3 cup of chocolate chips). Stir until melted and smooth.

Add in 3 tbsp of coconut oil (or melted butter). Stir until smooth and combined - about 1 minute. Turn off the heat, but keep this mixture lukewarm (with residual steam) until ready to drizzle over the cake. It will start to solidify once poured over cold cake.

Take the cake out of the fridge. Ladle the warm chocolate drizzle into a disposable piping bag or small Ziploc bag. Seal it. Cut a small hole at the tip / one of the corners, and immediately drizzle the chocolate over the edges of the cake and allow it to drip down the sides of the cake. We like to space the chocolate drips about 1 inch apart.

Once you have chocolate drips all the way around the cake, drizzle the chocolate to cover the entire top surface with a thin layer of chocolate glaze. Note that you might not have to use all of the chocolate glaze mixture.

Use an offset spatula to smoothen the top. Let this rest in the fridge for the chocolate glaze to firm up while we work on the chocolate curls.

Chocolate Curls:

Put 2 large sheet pans in the fridge for a minimum of 10 minutes. Set up a double boiler over medium heat. Add in 4 oz of bittersweet chocolate (about 2/3 cup chocolate chips) and stir it around till it's all melted and smooth. Take the bowl off the heat.

Take 1 of the sheet pans out of the fridge, place it upside down on the counter, and pour half of the melted chocolate on it. With a spatula, push the chocolate back and forth, spreading it into a thin layer over both sheet pans. As you push and spread the chocolate back and forth, you'll see it firm up if your room is cold enough / during winter. You are done when the chocolate changes from being glossy and shiny to having more of a matte look.

Do the same thing with the second sheet pan and the remaining half of the melted chocolate.

During the summer / if your room is warm, it is necessary to put the sheet pans with the thin layer of chocolate in the fridge for 20 minutes for the chocolate to set. Also, put your bench scraper in the freezer, so it's cold when it touches the chocolate.

When you think your chocolate is set enough, take one sheet pan at a time out of the fridge (so the other half of chocolate doesn't warm up while working on the first pan) and your cold bench scraper, and at a 45-degree angle, scrape it with a pretty quick and confident motion. If the chocolate starts to crumble immediately, it means the chocolate is too cold, and let it warm up for 5 to 10 seconds in a warm room / 2 to 3 minutes in a cool room, and try again.

If the chocolate just clumps up into a melted pile onto your scraper, then it means it's not cold / set enough, and needs to go in the fridge for another 10 minutes.

When the chocolate is just the right consistency, with a pretty quick and confident motion, the chocolate will form curls when you scrape it at a 45-degree angle. This step can be very temperamental. And there's only a small window of time (30 second - 1 minute in a warm room / 5 minutes in a cool room) when your chocolate is the right temperature / consistency that it forms curls. So, you might have to put the sheet pan back and forth in the fridge multiple times before you get all the curls you want.

Try your best not to touch the chocolate with your fingers - I handle the chocolate with the bench scraper and a toothpick. With each successful curl, cut the curl off with the bench scraper, and using the bench scraper and a toothpick, lift it onto a parchment paper-lined tray.

Once you've made curls from the first sheet pan, place those curls in the fridge. Then repeat the same thing with the second sheet pan.

Make as many curls as you'd like. I aim for a total of 20 to 25 curls. Once you have 20 to 25 curls you're happy with, store your curls in the fridge (or in the freezer on a very hot day) till you're ready to use them, as the curls may melt and lose their shape.

Arrange your 20 chocolate curls on the top surface. I'm placing them around the outer perimeter of the cake, about 1 inch from the edge.

Refrigerate the cake overnight for the layers to set. Serve chilled. Enjoy!