Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and dust your 8-inch round cake pans with cocoa powder.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, Dutch cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

In another bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, curd, hot water, eggs, and vanilla extract until well blended.

Gradually pour the wet ingredients into the dry mixture, stirring gently to combine until you have a smooth batter.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Once baked, let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.

For the buttercream, combine the egg whites and granulated sugar in a heatproof bowl over a double boiler. Whisk until the mixture is hot.

Take it off the heat and beat until stiff peaks form; this can take about 7-10 minutes.

Gradually mix in the softened butter until combined, then fold in the cooled, melted chocolate.

To assemble your cake, spread the Swiss buttercream between the layers and on top of the cake. Chill for 20 minutes.

Decorate according to your preference, whether that’s sprinkles, fruit, or additional chocolate shavings.