Preheat the oven to 350F(180C). Lightly oil an 8-inch cake pan. Line the bottom with parchemin paper if you want to make sure it doesn’t stick (I didn’t).

Sift all your dry ingredients together into a large mixing bowl. Add your wet ingredients, mix well to combine. The batter will be fairly runny but shouldn’t be too liquid.

Pour the batter into the cake pan. Bake in the oven for 30 to 45 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and let cool a little before removing from the pan. Let cool completely on a rack before frosting.

For the ganache, melt the chocolate in a double-boiler with two tablespoons milk (I don’t have a double boiler, so I just add some water to a pot, sit a sturdy bowl on top and bring it to a boil, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bowl. Be careful not to burn yourself with the steam!!). Stir until the chocolate is dissolved and you have a smooth ganache. There’s a small chance that the chocolate will curdle, which happens randomly to me. If so, don’t panic and just add more milk, stirring constantly. Also make sure it doesn’t get too hot and get burnt. Add the alcohol at the end if using.

Pour the ganache on top of the cake, letting it drip on the sides. Cut and enjoy with friends!