Dark Chocolate Frosted Yellow Cake with Raspberry Preserves

Ingredients

• 1 Box Duncan Hines Classic Yellow Cake Mix
• 1 scant cup water (a little less than a cup, but more than 3/4)
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup frozen raspberries, thawed and drained
• 2/3 cup raspberry preserves
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Ghirardelli)
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon boiling water
• 1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar*, sifted
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pound semisweet chocolate, melted and cooled (I used Ghirardelli)
• 12 oz mini chocolate chips for decorating

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9 inch round cake pans (I like to simply spray my pans with Pam Baking Spray)
2. Using a large mixing bowl, combine cake mix, water, butter and eggs and mix with electric mixer on low for one minute, scrape sides, then mix on high for one minute. Pour evenly into the two prepared pans.
3. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to cool completely.
4. In a small bowl, combine raspberries and preserves.
5. Place one cake layer, bottom side up on cardboard with 2 pieces of parchment paper between cake and cardboard; spread cake with raspberry mixture, leaving a 1-inch border. Top with second cake layer, bottom side up.
6. Combine cocoa and the boiling water, stirring until cocoa has dissolved. With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter, confectioners’ sugar, and salt until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add melted and cooled chocolate, beating until combined and scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Beat in the cocoa mixture.
7. Frost cake, remove parchment paper from under cake, then garnish with mini chocolate chips.