• Preheat oven to 300. Combine butter, sugar, and cocoa. Add eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowing add this to the rest of the mixture. While this is mixing, slowly add the hot water, letting all the ingredients melt together. Be sure to scrape the sides as you go. The finished product will be runny and soupy; do not worry, this means you did it the right way. Pour into round greased pans.
• Bake at 300 for about 30-40 min. Check it for 30 minutes and then every 5 minutes until the toothpick comes out clean when placed in the center of the cake.
• Take it out of the oven and allow it to cool for 15 min before removing it from the pans. Let the cake cool completely on wire racks before frosting.
• If you want a 4-layer cake as shown, cut each cake in half. Frost between each layer. 
• Optional: Sprinkle the top of the cake with sifted powdered sugar and garnish with raspberries.  
• Must keep refrigerated.

Frosting

• First, beat the whipping cream with an electric mixer until it has thickened to stiff peaks stage - almost to the thickness of soft butter. Chill the beaters and the bowl in the refrigerator before mixing to speed up the process. Remove whipped cream from the mixing bowl and set aside.
• Add cream cheese, vanilla, salt, and 1 cup of powdered sugar to the mixing bowl. Mix until creamy and well blended.
• Alternately add whipping cream and remaining powdered sugar to the mixture, blending well between each addition.