Rich, damp-crumbed, napped with a shiny, dark ganache that slips down the sides like candle wax. It looks far more impressive than the effort deserves—a mix of cocoa brought to life with a spoonful of coffee and a cup of boiling water. This allows the cocoa to bloom, giving you a more flavourful cake. The coffee flavour is barely there, but the role it plays is anything but. No heavy machinery needed for this cake either—the fat is oil, not butter, which so often demands to be creamed. I add sour cream though, to make it richer, moister, more tender. This is a proper cake to welcome winter. Heavy in the hand, light on fuss. The kind that asks for nothing but a fork and a bit of quiet.