Chocolate cake:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350F (conventional) and prepare a 9" cake pan with parchment paper and butter / oil
2. If making your own buttermilk, mix 1/2 cup milk with 1/2 tbsp vinegar, stir, and set aside
3. Mix the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. Whisk thoroughly to make sure there are no lumps
4. Break in the egg, and add the vegetable oil and buttermilk. Use a whisk to gently mix until the ingredients come together and no lumps of flour remain - do not overmix
5. In a smaller bowl, mix boiling water with cocoa powder and instant coffee, and whisk until you get a shiny mix. This step blooms the cocoa powder and brings out its lovely chocolatey notes
6. Add the bloomed cocoa powder mixture to the remaining cake batter, and gently whisk until combined. You should have a smooth, glossy chocolate cake batter
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan
8. Bake at 350F for about ~20-23 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with moist crumbs attached
9. Wait 10 minutes and then carefully turn out the cake onto a serving stand

Pistachio knafeh:

1. Add the shredded kataifi, melted butter and salt to a nonstick pan. Cook and stir on medium low heat for ~10 minutes until the kataifi becomes golden brown and very crispy. Break clumps along the way and make sure it doesn't burn
2. Mix in the pistachio cream. Stir, and set aside

Chocolate ganache:

1. Bring the cream to a boil, and pour over the chocolate. Cover and rest for 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to melt, then mix until you get a shiny ganache. Rest for another 10 minutes so the ganache thickens slightly

Serving:

1. Carefully spread the pistachio knafeh on top of the cake once both have cooled down for ~10-15 minutes
2. Spread a generous layer of fresh chopped strawberries on top of the pistachio knafeh layer
3. Pour over the chocolate ganache
4. Slice, serve & enjoy!

Video tutorial: