Preheat the oven and prepare the pan:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9x13" or 8x8” baking pan or dish with butter. Set aside. (I used a 9x13" pan for my recipe)

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, avocado oil, eggs, and vanilla until combined.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and whisk until combined. At this point the batter should be very thick, similar to brownie batter.

Pour in the hot coffee, and stir quickly until well combined. Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.

Place the cake onto the middle rack of your oven, and bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean or with moist crumbs. (Time varies slightly depending on the pan used)

While the cake is baking, prepare the hot chocolate soak. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the milk, sugar, cocoa powder, butter, vanilla and salt. Stir to combine. Continue whisking until the mixture just starts to simmer, is slightly thickened, and is fully heated through/smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside until ready to use.

Once the cake if finished baking, remove it from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Then use a skewer, fork, or the end of a wooden spoon to poke holes all over the surface of the cake.

Pour the hot chocolate mixture evenly all over the warm cake. Set aside, allowing it to soak in fully and cool slightly.

Prepare the chocolate ganache topping (if using):

While the cake is soaking, prepare the chocolate ganache. Place the chocolate chips into a small bowl. Heat the heavy cream in the microwave until hot (~45 seconds - 1 minute). Alternatively, use a double boiler and heat the milk. Pour the hot heavy cream over the chocolate and let sit for 3 minutes. Then, whisk until smooth and glossy.

Once the cake is slightly cooled and has absorbed the chocolate soak, pour the chocolate ganache evenly all over the surface of the cake. Use an offset spatula to smooth it into an even layer.

Place the cake in the fridge and let it chill till the ganache sets. Around 1-2 hours.

Once ready, serve with a scoop of homemade vanilla whipped cream, vanilla ice cream and a sprinkle of flaky sea salt, if desired.

Enjoy!