2 cups raising flour
3/4 cocoa powder
2 tsp Bi-carb soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
Buttermilk: 1 cup of full cream milk and 1 tbsp white vinegar
1 cup of vegetable oil
2 cups Chelsea Demerara Sugar
1 cup of boiling water
2 tsp of vanilla extract

Buttercream
3 large eggs (whites only)
3/4 cup Chelsea Caster Sugar
250g of unsalted butter (room temperature)
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp of coconut extract
A pinch of salt
1/2 cup of coconut flakes

Preheat oven to 1800C. Grease desired baking pan and line base with baking paper.
For buttermilk; pour milk in a bowl and add vinegar. Stir to combine and let it sit for 5 minutes.
In your stand mixer bowl, sift dry ingredients; flour, cocoa powder, bi carb soda and salt.
Add eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil and whisk at low speed until all ingredients are incorporated. This may take approximately 2 minutes.
Pour the Chelsea Demerara Sugar in the whisking bowl and add 1 cup of boiling water. This will dissolve all the granules. Whisk until dissolved then add vanilla extract.
Pour batter into your desired pan and bake for 20-25 minutes. Baking time depends on the size and the depth of your pan. Poke the centre with a toothpick/BBQ stick and when it comes back clean, the cake is done.
Whilst this is baking, start on the swiss meringue buttercream.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream
In your stand mixer bowl, combine Chelsea Caster Sugar and egg whites and place over a double boiler on medium heat. Gently whisk with a hand held whisker until all granules have dissolved.

Return bowl in stand mixer and whisk on high speed at no more than 4 minutes.  Switch whisker to flat beater and beat on low-medium speed.
Drop 1-2 inch cubes of the unsalted butter gradually. Ensure butter is well incorporated in the meringue before adding another. Repeat process until butter is finished.
Add vanilla extract, salt, coconut flakes and beat for 60 seconds.
Pipe on cake as desired and design to your liking.