Raspberry Buttercream Layer Cake

Chocolate Cake

Combine dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking power and soda, cocoa powder, and sugar) in large bowl. Mix together. Add all liquid ingredients and eggs to dry. Mix until combined.

Vanilla Cake

Combine dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt) in a large bowl, and mix together. Add all liquids and eggs to the dry mix. Mix together until combined.

Baking

Prepare 2 9" round cake pans, lined on the bottom with parchment paper. Spray pan and parchment with non-stick spray (such as Pam). Add equal parts of vanilla cake batter and chocolate cake batter, one on top of another. With a spatula, run through the layers, turning the pan a quarter turn after each swipe through. You want to make the layers look marbleized, not mixed together. Put into a preheated 360 degree F oven, and bake for 25-30 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5-10 minutes, then remove from pan and continue to cool on cooling rack.

Buttercream

In a double boiler (or a bowl on top of a pot of simmering water), combine the egg whites and sugar. Mix together slightly, and heat until they are warm to the touch. When the mixture is warm, pour into a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Start beating on low, until mixture is frothy. Once frothy, increase speed to med-high for about 10 minutes or until mixture comes to stiff, glossy, peaks. Lower speed to low, and add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, making sure it is incorporated before adding additional butter. Don't worry if the mixture looks like it's curdling (it'll come back together). Once all butter is added, add raspberry preserves, vanilla and almond extract. Whisk until combined. Switch to paddle attachment, and mix for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until buttercream is smooth. Frost cake as desired.