Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease two 8-inch round cake pans, dust them with cocoa powder, and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir to mix the dry ingredients together.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk the vegetable oil, buttermilk, hot water or coffee, eggs, and vanilla extract together. If using hot water or coffee, slowly pour it in to avoid cooking the eggs.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes. The resulting batter will be very thin.
- Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans, using a kitchen scale for accuracy if desired.
- Bake the cakes for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs attached.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then remove them and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- For the cherry liqueur syrup, combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir and bring to a boil, then let it simmer for 1 minute. Take off the heat, add cherry liqueur, and allow to cool fully.
- To make the whipped cream frosting, whip cold cream and sifted powdered sugar together (ideally in a chilled bowl with a cold whisk) until stiff peaks form.
- For the chocolate bark, melt the dark chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave in 20-second bursts, stirring in between, until smooth.
- Spread the melted chocolate into a thin layer on a large sheet of parchment paper using an offset spatula. Roll the parchment up from the short side, place on a baking sheet, and chill in the fridge or freezer until the chocolate firms up.
- Unroll the parchment to break the chocolate into bark pieces.
- To assemble, slice each cake layer horizontally so you have four thin layers in total.
- Place one cake layer on a serving plate or cake stand. Generously brush with cherry liqueur syrup.
- Spread about 1 cup of whipped cream evenly over the layer. Arrange about 1 cup of halved cherries on top, pressing them in gently.
- Repeat the cake, syrup, whipped cream, and cherries layering process with the remaining layers. Cover the outside of the cake with the rest of the whipped cream.
- Decorate the cake with chocolate bark, chocolate shavings, whipped cream rosettes, and additional cherries as you like.
Nutrition
Notes
Make sure the cakes are completely cool before assembling to prevent the whipped cream from melting. If you don’t have cherry liqueur, you can use cherry juice, but the flavor will differ. Store finished cake in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; keep it covered to maintain freshness. You can make the cakes, syrup, and chocolate bark in advance and assemble shortly before serving. For serving, a sharp serrated knife helps create neat slices. Decorate just before serving for the best appearance, especially when using fresh cherries.