I’m a few days late with this one, but the cake was so good I thought I’d get it up here…

I don’t use a lot of cake mixes but I do like to keep one on the shelf for those moments when I want a semi-instantaneous dessert.  I shy away from the national brands and their unnatural ingredients.  If I’m going to be a slug, I at least want to be a reasonably healthy slug.

Another thing I do is use 8″ cake pans for layer cakes.

Most of the cake pans one finds at the grocery store or home store are 9″ pans.  An 8″ pan makes a higher layer that is much easier to split for additional fillings – and it makes a more impressive-looking finished cake.  Much more “bakery” professional.

And we do eat with our eyes…

Chocolate cake just screams for a berry filling and raspberry jam is a natural companion.  But another berry good companion is the raspberry’s cousin, boysenberry.

Boysenberries are a cross between a raspberry, a blackberry, and a loganberry.  Loganberries are a cross between a raspberry and a blackberry.  It’s a raspberry/blackberry/raspberry/blackberry.

And it makes a great jam!

Putting the cake together is simple.  Split the layers, spread the jam, and ice.

And here’s a layer-splitting hint: To get an evenly-sliced layer, use dental floss!

Yes.  Dental floss.  Simply wrap the floss around the cake layer where you want it sliced and pull.  The floss slices right through the cake with no muss and no fuss. Just keep the two ends even as you pull.

Simple.