Recipe: Four Layer Dark Chocolate Raspberry Cake

Gina & Micha...want decadent for Vday? For those of you who aren't into cheesecake, try this!

FOUR LAYER DARK CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY CAKE
Source: Oxmoor House
Yield: Makes 12 to 15 servings

Looking for the perfect Valentine's Day dessert? Here's a delicious chocolate cake with a vibrant pink raspberry filling hidden inside.

2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Raspberry Filling (see below)
Dark Chocolate Frosting (see below)
Garnish: fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (9-inch) round cakepans. (To prevent a white dusting on your chocolate cake layers, dust cake pans with cocoa instead of flour.)

Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, and make a well in center of mixture.

Stir together eggs and next 3 ingredients and add to dry ingredients. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer just until blended. Beat at medium speed 2 minutes. Stir in boiling water. Pour into pans.

Bake for 35 minutes or until cake begins to pull away from sides of pan and a wooden pick inserted in center of each layer comes out almost clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.

ASSEMBLY:
Split layers horizontally.
Spread Raspberry Filling evenly between layers.
Spread Dark Chocolate Frosting on top and sides of cake.
Garnish with fresh raspberries, if desired.

RASPBERRY FILLING:
Makes 2 2/3 cups

1 cup fresh raspberries
Milk
1/2 cup butter, softened
5 cups sifted powdered sugar

Process raspberries in a food processor until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides. Pour puree through a fine wire-mesh strainer, pressing with the back of a spoon; discard seeds. Add enough milk to equal 1/2 cup. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add powdered sugar alternately with raspberry mixture, beginning and ending with powdered sugar. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.

DARK CHOCOLATE FROSTING:
Makes 2 1/4 cups

6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 2/3 cups sifted powdered sugar
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa
6 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy.
Combine powdered sugar and cocoa; gradually add to butter alternately with milk and vanilla, beginning and ending with powdered sugar mixture. Beat at low speed until blended after each addition.