INSTRUCTIONS:

For the Cake:

Cup of Yum
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and cocoa powder three 6-inch cake pans.
2. In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream your room temperature butter. Add in sugar and mix on medium until combined.
3. Add eggs in one at a time and beat. Add vanilla extract.
4. In a separate bowl, combine vinegar and buttermilk.
5. Sift the cocoa powder into the butter mixture. Add beets. Mix on low. 
6. In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
7. Add ½ of the dry and ½ of the wet to the butter mixture until combined.
8. Add the buttermilk mixture and mix until combined.
9. Pour the batter into three prepared pans. Add damp baking strips.
10. Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until the centers are springy to the touch. When done, let them cool in their pans for about 5 minutes, then dump them out onto a wire rack.

For the Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

1. Add egg whites, sugar and salt in a bowl.
2. Give the mixture a brief whisk.
3. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Make sure the water does not touch the bowl.
4. Whisk the egg whites occasionally while it warms up. When the mixture has warmed, whisk it constantly. You will heat the mixture until it reaches an internal temperature of 160ºF or until it's not grainy between your fingers.
5. Transfer the bowl to a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Whip until you get room temperature glossy peaks.
6. While the mixture is running on low, add tablespoon sized dollops of room temperature butter making sure to let the butter incorporate before you add the next piece. 
7. Melt the chocolate in two 30 second bursts and 1/2 power. Cover it and let the rest of the chocolate melt and come to room temperature.  
8. Transfer 1.5 cups of the Swiss meringue buttercream to a bowl. Add your desired amount of chocolate. Any extra can be used for a ganache! 
9. Mix with a spatula until everything is incorporated. 

For the Assembly:

1. Snip the tips off of the chocolate buttercream and plain buttercream, then add to a piping bag fitted with a round tip. Pipe the swirl between each layer and repeat the process. 
2. In a blender, add confectioners sugar and raspberries. Blend until a fine powder.
3. Add the chocolate swirl between each layer. Cover the cake in white plain buttercream, smooth, and transfer to the fridge to chill. With parchment paper, use a ruler and pencil to sketch out the pieces for the stripes on the cake. The height of the strip should be the height of the cake plus the radius of the cake. Make a fold at the cake's radius, the part of the strip that will rest on the cake's top will be cut into a triangle. Press strips of paper onto the chilled cake.
4. Add the raspberry powder between the stripes.
5. Use an air duster to brush off the excess raspberry powder.
6. Remove the strips.
7. I used an exacto knife to perfect the stripes that had bled under the parchment paper.