Now to Think of Something...

So, after posting pictures of this cake to facebook, I've had some requests for the recipe. Here it is.

INGREDIENTS - While the cake ingredients are very precise, the filling and topping were made mostly on my own intuition. My suggestion would be to experiment to find the ingredients you like. That is, make a small amount and taste it before making more.

Cake:
2 c. boiling water
1 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 c. softened butter
2 1/4 c. white cane sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 t. vanilla

Filling:
Eh, about 1 c. heavy whipping cream
About 2 T. confectioner's sugar
About 1 1/2 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
About a cup of crushed chocolate candy of your choice (I used butterfingers)
A handful of chocolate chips

Topping:

Eh, about 1 c. heavy whipping cream
About 2 T. confectioner's sugar
Like 1/2 t. vanilla extract
Your choice of topping. (e.g. raspberries, more of the crushed candy, chocolate chips, etc.)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350F and grease two or three 9-inch round cake pans.
Pour boiling water over cocoa and whisk until smooth.
In a separate bowl, sift or whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In another bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time (I put them in a bowl beforehand to make this a little easier, and to make sure all the eggs are good).
Stir in vanilla.
Alternately add the flour mixture and the cocoa mixture to the butter mixture.
Spread evenly in pans and bake for 25 - 30 minutes. (If you put them in two pans instead of three, as I did, it'll take about 40-45 minutes. Just until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean).
Let cool in pans for about 20 minutes and turn over onto a baking sheet (covered with a dishtowel or foil for easy clean-up) and put in fridge to finish cooling.

In the meantime, or while the cakes are in the oven, you can make the topping and filling. I made the topping first so I didn't dirty another bowl, and because the filling had chocolate. To do that, pour the whipped cream into a bowl (you can really just eye it), and whisk (or beat) until it's almost to soft peaks. Then add in the sugar and vanilla and whisk (or beat) to firm peaks. Put it in a baggy (I used a gallon-sized resealable bag.), trim just the corner (be sure not to trim too much), and set aside. Repeat the process, replacing cocoa powder for vanilla.

Crush your candy, put in a bowl, and set aside.

When the cakes are cooled, set them on a stand of some kind. Make sure they're sturdy, so they won't slip everywhere. In the end, I turned a pot upside down and supported it. Take a length of dental floss, wrap it around your fingers, and slide it levelly through the cake to cut off the rounded tops. To assemble, take one cake, set it on a plate or cake stand. Grab the chocolate whipped cream, and pipe it in a spiral pattern, starting at the outside. Cover with as much crushed candy and chocolate chips as you like. Place the second cake on top, and repeat the process with the vanilla whipped cream. It's...amazing.