Na Young Ma’s chocolate espresso layer cake at Proof Bakery in Atwater Village

Rachel Liu makes a chocolate espresso layer cake at Proof Bakery.

Espresso buttercream is spread onto the second layer of the cake.

Espresso buttercream is spread onto the second layer of the cake.

Not one ... not two ... but three layers of chocolate espresso cake.

Espresso simple syrup is brushed onto the third layer of the cake.

Espresso buttercream.

The milk chocolate crémeux is spread over a layer of the cake.

The milk chocolate crémeux is spread on Na Young Ma’s chocolate espresso layer cake at Proof Bakery.

The cake is topped with bittersweet chocolate glaze.

The final step to assembling the cake is applying a crumb coating around its side.

“I don’t have a sweet tooth,” Na Young Ma says. But she developed this chocolate espresso layer cake because customers wanted a “celebration cake.”

The cake is garnished with chocolate crumbles.