Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray 3 6-inch cake pans with non-stick spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper rounds.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then set aside the flour mixture.
2 ¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, 1 ½ teaspoon baking powder, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together on high speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. (You can also use a stand mixer fit with a paddle attachment.)
10 tablespoon (140 g) unsalted butter, softened, 1 ½ cups (300 g) granulated white sugar
Dissolve the instant coffee into the vanilla extract in a ramekin. Then to the butter mixture add the eggs and vanilla/instant coffee mixture and mix on medium speed until smooth, 1-2 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula as necessary.
1 ½ tablespoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoon instant coffee, 3 eggs, at room temperature
Add the dry ingredients and the buttermilk to the butter/coffee mixture a little at a time until it is all added, mixing on low then medium speed for each addition. Mix just until the batter is combined and smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
1 cup (240 ml) buttermilk, at room temperature
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 27-31 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean from the centers.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 2 minutes, then transfer the cakes to a wire rack to completely cool.