Chocolate Cake:
Set the oven temperature to 350F, grease two 8-inch round baking pans, and sprinkle cocoa powder over them. Use parchment to line the bottoms.
Put all of the dry ingredients in the bowl of an electric stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Stir to combine.
Whisk together all the wet ingredients in a medium bowl (pour hot water in slowly as not to cook the eggs).
Mix the wet and dry ingredients on medium for two to three minutes. There won’t be much of it.
Pour evenly into the pans that have been prepared. I used a kitchen scale to make sure that the batter was spread out evenly.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out mostly clean.
Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Cherry Liqueur Syrup:
Sugar and water should be put into a small pot. Stir and heat until it boils. After 1 minute, turn off the heat. Add the cherry liqueur and let it cool all the way down.
WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING:
Whip the cream and powdered sugar until they form stiff peaks. Ideally, in a bowl that is cold and using a cold whisk.
Chocolate Bark:
Melt the chocolate over a double boiler or in the microwave in 20-second bursts.
With a large offset spatula, spread a thin layer of melted chocolate on a large piece of parchment paper.
Start rolling the paper up from the short side. Put them on a baking sheet and chill or freeze them until they are firm.
To make chocolate bark, unroll the paper.
Assembly:
Cut each layer of cake in half across.
Put one layer of cake on a cake plate or stand. Cherry syrup should be used in large amounts.
Add about 1 cup of whipped cream on top and spread it out evenly. Add about a cup of cherries on top and press them gently into the whipped cream. Repeat with the rest of the layers, and then frost the whole cake.
If you want, you can decorate with chocolate bark, chocolate shavings, chocolate rosettes, and cherries