Ingredients:
1 cup sour cream or 1 cup buttermilk or 1 cup sour milk
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup boiling water
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened at room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
3 large eggs
3 cups whipping cream
1/2 cup icing sugar
16 ounces cherry pie filling ( sweet or sour, drained & chopped)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter and flour 2 x 9″ round pan.
Combine sour cream, cocoa and water, blend well (set aside).
Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt into bowl (set aside).
In a large bowl beat butter and sugar on medium high speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy.
Lower speed and add vanilla and almond extracts, add eggs one at a time, blend well.
Add flour 3 times to butter mixture, alternating 2 times with milk mixture– starting and ending with flour.
Mix well.
Pour batter evenly into both pans and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20- 25 minutes.
Cool on racks for 20 minutes before removing pans.
Cool completely before frosting.
Beat whipping cream with icing sugar until stiff but not dry.
Place one cake on platter, frost with 1 cup whipped cream to 1/2″ from edge of cake, sprinkle white chocolate chips on top of whipped cream and top with the chopped and drained cherries.
Put 2nd cake overtop of first cake and frost the top and sides with the remaining whipped cream.
You can add chocolate curls or marashino cherries to decorate if desired.
Servings: 12
Time preparation: 30 min.
Time total: 55 min.