Maryland Black Walnut Fudge Cake

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9" round cake pan and line it with parchment paper.
2. Melt the chocolate and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar until very pale in color and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each to incorporate it fully.
4. Add the vanilla and mix well. Fold in the cooled chocolate and mix.
5. Add the flour and salt and mix until just combined. Don't overbeat the batter here. Fold in the chopped walnuts.
6. Scrape the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the top is very puffy and a tester inserted into the center only has a few crumbs clinging to it, not wet batter.
7. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the edges to loosen it, then let the cake cool fully before turning it out of the pan and frosting it.
8. For the frosting: Beat together the butter and sugar, then add the cocoa and hot coffee and beat until fluffy. Make sure you've FULLY incorporated the butter into the sugar before adding the cocoa and coffee. If it's too thick, add a bit more coffee (or hot water), one teaspoon at a time. PRO TIP: This makes just a very thin layer of frosting, so you can double the amounts of everything if you want a thicker layer.
9. Spread the frosting over the cake, slice, and serve.