Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease two nine-inch round cake pans with butter or oil and dust them with a little cocoa powder to prevent sticking. This ensures your cake releases perfectly after baking.
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Use a wire whisk to combine everything thoroughly, ensuring there are no large clumps of cocoa or flour left in the mixture.
Add the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and alcohol-free vanilla to the dry ingredients. Use an electric mixer on medium speed or a sturdy whisk to beat the mixture for about two minutes. The batter will be quite thick at this stage, which is perfectly normal.
Lower the mixer speed and carefully pour in the boiling water. Stir by hand or on the lowest setting until the water is fully incorporated. This process blooms the cocoa, intensifying the chocolate flavor. The batter will be very thin, but do not worry, it will bake into a beautiful sponge.
Distribute the batter evenly between the two prepared cake pans. Place them in the center of the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes. You will know they are done when a wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs attached.
Allow the cakes to cool in their pans for about ten minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once they are cold to the touch, you can frost them with your favorite chocolate ganache or buttercream and decorate with festive sprigs of rosemary or pomegranate seeds.
