Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
• Spray 2 or 3 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray.
• Line cake pans with a circle of parchment paper and then spray again with cooking spray.
• (This recipe makes a lot.)
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• In a second, smaller bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla, almond extract, and water together.
• Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and whisk until smooth.
• The batter will be very thin and runny.
• Distribute the batter between the cake pans.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center of the cakes comes out clean.
• (If using 3 pans, check them after 20 or 25 minutes. They will cook more quickly than 2 pans.)
• Frosting
• To prepare the frosting, pour the melted butter into the cocoa powder and whisk until well blended.
• Add a scoop of powdered sugar and whisk.
• Then add some milk and whisk.
• Alternate adding sugar and milk while mixing until the frosting is smooth and spreadable.
• You might want to use your electric mixer for this as it can take awhile.
• If your frosting seems too thick to be spread, add a little extra milk.
• If it seems too runny, add extra powdered sugar.
• Stir in the vanilla extract and almond extract.
• Assembly
• To assemble, place one of the cakes on a platter.
• Top with a generous layer of cherry pie filling.
• Add a second cake layer and more cherry pie filling.
• Top with the third cake layer and frost with the chocolate frosting.