Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Step 2

Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. With your mixer on low speed beat in the oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water until smooth. Pour the mixture into the two 9″ prepared pans, coated with butter and dusted in flour or sugar.

Step 3

Bake for 30 minutes or until a cake skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not over bake the cake. It should be firm to the touch, and a cake skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean.

Step 4

Put the cake pans on cooling racks and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans to cool completely

Step 5

Place the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl, over a pot of simmering water, stir with a rubber spatula as the chocolate melts, if the pan starts to get too hot, remove it from the heat.

Step 6

Continue to stir the chocolate until it has melted completely, then remove from the heat.

Step 7

Cut the butter into 8 pieces and mix it into the melted chocolate until it has been completely absorbed by the chocolate.

Step 8

Set the chocolate aside to cool to room temperature

Step 9

Sabayon

Step 10

add the egg yolks to the bowl of your mixer and begin to whip them until doubled in size, then begin to slowly pour the sugar in a steady stream into the yolks. Continue to whip for another minute.

Step 11

add the liquid to the egg yolk mixture and place your mixing bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk the yolk mixture until it becomes very thick.

Step 12

When the egg yolks have thickened, continue to whip in your stand mixer until the mixture has cooled.

Step 13

when the sabayon has cooled, fold it into the chocolate mixture until well blended.

Step 14

Whip the cream in your stand mixer until it holds its shape. Take your time whipping the cream, rushing it will cause it to deflate.

Step 15

Fold the whipped cream into the chocolate mixture.

Step 16

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set.

Step 17

Divide the prepared chocolate mousse into two portions. use one half of the mousse to make mascarpone frosting

Step 18

Whip the room temperature mascarpone to make it smooth.

Step 19

Add the chocolate mousse to the whipped mascarpone and continue to whip until smooth. Refrigerate until needed*if the frosting hardens up too much by being refrigerated use a hand mixer or wire whisk, to re-whip the frosting smooth.

Step 20

Place one of the cakes on your cake stand or dish. Add one-half of the chocolate mousse (not the frosting) to the layer spreading evenly. Top the first mousse-filled layer with the second layer and repeat the process.add the final layer to the cake.

Step 21

When the layers have been set, start frosting the cake using the chocolate mousse mascarpone frosting spreading evenly.

Step 22

Top with raspberries and refrigerate for 1 hour to allow to set up.

Step 23

slice cake, serve and enjoy!