Chocolate Cake:

Cup of Yum
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease four 8 or 9" round cake pans and dust with cocoa powder. Line bottoms with parchment paper. Set Aside.
3. Add all the dry ingredients into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine on low speed.
4. In a medium bowl, using a hand mixer, whisk eggs with oil, buttermilk, espresso, vanilla, cherry liqueur, melted chocolate, once combined, slowly whisk in the hot water, careful not to cook the eggs.
5. Add wet ingredients to the bowl with dry ingredients and mix on medium speed for 2-3 mins. Batter will be very thin.
6. Pour the batter evenly into the prepared pans.
7. Bake for 25-30 mins in the preheated oven or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out mostly clean.
8. Cool the cakes 10 minutes in the pans then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Cherry Liqueur Syrup:

1. Place sugar and water into a small pot over medium heat and stir to bring to a boil.
2. Simmer for 1 min then remove from heat and stir in cherry liqueur, after that add the cherries. Allow to cool completely before using it.
3. Once cooled, remove the cherries from the syrup and place in a bowl.

Whipped Cream Frosting:

1. Prepare the whipped cream when you are ready to assemble the cake.
2. Add cream and sugar to a very cold bowl and whip until stiff peaks form.
3. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Assemble the Cake:

1. Flatten the chocolate layers.
2. On a cake stand, place a dollop of whipped cream and add on top one chocolate cake layer. Brush generously with the cooled cherry syrup.
3. Top with about 1 cup of cold whipped cream and spread it evenly.
4. Top with about 1 cup of cherries and gently press them into the whipped cream.
5. Repeat with remaining layers.
6. When done frost the outside of the cake and top of the cake with whipped cream.
7. If needed, make more whipped cream and pipe rosettes on top of the cake. Garnish each rosette with one maraschino cherry.
8. Decorate the sides of the cake chocolate shavings or chocolate bark.
9. Chill for 12 hours before serving.