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Make the cake

• Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Use butter to grease 2 round cake pans, line with the parchment paper and then butter and flour the pans.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, sift the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed until combined.
• In another bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry and then add the coffee, mixing until just combined.
• Scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula before dividing batter between the prepared pans.
• Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until a toothpick tests clean. Cool in the pan for 30 minutes and then turn them out onto a cooling rack and cool completely.

Make the frosting:

• Whisk together 5 Tablespoons of flour and 1 cup of milk in a small saucepan. Heat over medium low heat, stirring often, until very thick. Set aside to cool completely.
• Beat together butter, sugar and vanilla until very creamy. Add thickened milk and beat until fluffy and smooth – this may take several minutes.

To assemble:

• For a four layer cake, divide each layer in half using a serrated knife. Spread the bottom layer of cake with frosting, add next layer, spread with 1/2 cup fruit spread, add next layer of cake, spread with frosting, add last layer of cake and frost top and sides of cake.
• For a two layer cake, spread bottom layer with fruit spread, add top layer of cake and frost top and sides of cake.
• On the top of the cake, spread the remaining fruit spread in as big of a circle as you like. Decorate with Choc Chips.

Batter:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease 2 9-inch cake pans, set side.
• In a small microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate, and the tablespoon of butter in the microwave on medium (50%) heat.
• In a large mixing bowl, stir together the stick of butter, the sugar, and the vanilla.
• Stir in the eggs, 1 at a time until they are all incorporated.
• Stir in the chocolate.
• Stir in the salt and oil.
• Stir in 1 1/4 cups of the flour then the 1/2 cup of milk.
• Stir in the last 1 1/4 cup on flour and the baking powder.
• Pour the batter evenly between the 2 cake pans and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Filling:

• In a small sauce pan, combined all of the ingredients and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; set aside to cool.
• Frosting:
• In a medium bowl, add all of the ingredients and beat with an electric hand mixer until light and fluffy; set aside.

Cake:

• When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Loosen the edges with a knife, and turn them out onto a cooling rack(to cool completely.
• When the cakes are cool, pour the raspberry filling onto one of the cakes and then top with the other cake.
• Let cake cool for a while, then spread the frosting on the top and sides.
• To garnish you can place raspberries on the top and around then cake.

• Lightly coat 12 C bundt pan with vegetable oil spray, then coat with flour (or cocoa). Shake out excess flour. Set pan aside. Preheat oven to 350°.
• In large mixing bowl combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, warm water and oil. Blend with mixer on low speed 1 minute. Stop machine and scrape down sides of bowl with rubber spatula. Increase speed to medium and beat 2 – 3 minutes more, scraping sides down. Batter should look thick and well combined.
• Fold in chocolate chips, making sure they are well distributed throughout batter. Pour batter into prepared pan, smoothing top.
• Bake until cake springs back when pressed lightly with finger and just starts to pull away from sides of pan, 45 – 50 minutes. Remove pan from oven and place on wire rack to cool 20 minutes. Run long sharp knife around edge of cake and invert onto rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more. Or invert it onto serving platter to slice and serve while still warm. Store cake, covered in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, at room temperature up to one week.

• Butter two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms with rounds of parchment or wax paper. Preheat the oven to 350°.
• Melt both chocolates together with the 6 tablespoons of water. Use either a double-boiler or a microwave. Stir until smooth, then set aside until room temperature.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, or by hand, beat the butter and 1 ¼ cup of the sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate, then the egg yolks, one at a time.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• Mix in half of the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture, then the buttermilk and the vanilla extract, then the rest of the dry ingredients.
• In a separate metal or glass bowl, beat the egg whites until they hold soft, droopy peaks. Beat in the ¼ cup of sugar until stiff.
• Fold about one-third of the egg whites into the cake batter to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites just until there’s no trace of egg white visible.
• Divide the batter into the 2 prepared cake pans, smooth the tops, and bake for about 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
• Cool cake layers completely.
• While the cakes are baking and cooling, make the filling, syrup, and icing.

To make the filling:

• Mix the cream, sugar, and egg yolks in a medium saucepan. Put the 3 ounces butter, salt, toasted coconut, and pecan pieces in a large bowl.
• Heat the cream mixture and cook, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stiuntil the mixture begins to thicken and coats the spoon (an instant-read thermometer will read 170°.)
• Pour the hot custard immediately into the pecan-coconut mixture and stir until the butter is melted. Cool completely to room temperature. (It will thicken.)

To make the syrup:

• In a small saucepan, heat the sugar and water until the sugar has melted. Remove from heat and stir in the dark rum.

To make the icing:

• Place the 8 ounces of chopped chocolate in a bowl with the corn syrup and 1 ½ ounces of butter.
• Heat the cream until it just begins to boil. Remove from heat and pour over the chocolate. Let stand one minute, then stir until smooth. Let sit until room temperature.

To assemble the cake:

• Remove the cake layers from the pans and cut both cake layers in half horizontally, using a serrated bread knife.
• Set the first cake layer on a cake plate. Brush well with syrup. Spread ¾ cup of the coconut filling over the cake layer, making sure to reach to the edges. Set another cake layer on top.
• Repeat, using the syrup to brush each cake layer, then spreading ¾ cup of the coconut filling over each layer, including the top.
• Ice the sides with the chocolate icing, then pipe a decorative border of chocolate icing around the top, encircling the coconut topping.
• (It may seem like a lot of chocolate icing, but use it all. Trust me. You won’t be sorry.)

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9 inch, round, cake pans; cover bottoms with waxed paper.
• In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 cups sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, milk, oil, and 1 tablespoon vanilla; beat until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pans.
• Bake for 35 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool layers in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Loosen edges, and remove to racks to cool completely.
• Drain cherries, reserving 1/2 cup juice. Combine reserved juice, cherries, 1 cup sugar and cornstarch in a 2 quart saucepan. Cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool before using.
• Combine whipping cream and confectioner’s sugar in a chilled medium bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until stiff peaks form.
• With long serrated knife, split each cake layer horizontally in half. Tear one split layer into crumbs; set aside. Reserve 1 1/2 cups Frosting for decorating cake; set aside. Gently brush loose crumbs off top and side of each cake layer with pasty brush or hands. To assemble, place one cake layer on cake plate. Spread with 1 cup frosting; top with 3/4 cup cherry topping. Top with second cake layer; repeat layers of frosting and cherry topping. Top with third cake layer. Frost side of cake. Pat reserved crumbs onto frosting on side of cake. Spoon reserved frosting into pastry bag fitted with star decorator tip. Pipe around top and bottom edges of cake. Spoon remaining cherry topping onto top of cake.