cake:
1 c Dutch-process cocoa powder
2 c flour
2 c sugar
2 t baking powder (or 1.5 t at altitude)
1/2 t baking soda
1 t salt
4 eggs
2/3 c vegetable oil
2 t vanilla
2 c buttermilk
toppings:
2 c whipping cream
1 t vanilla
1/2 c powdered sugar
kirsch, if you have it
21oz can cherry pie filling (eg "Kroger extra cherry pie filling")
Preheat the oven to 350F (or 365F at altitude). Grease 3 9" round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper (it stuck pretty badly without parchment).
In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (cocoa powder through salt) until well combined and any chunks are broken up. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, then whisk in the wet ingredients (oil through buttermilk) until smooth. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients in three additions, whisking after each addition until just combined.
Divide the batter evenly between the pans and bake for 25-30 min (~20 min at altitude) until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool in the pans for 15 min, then turn out onto cooling racks to cool completely.
In a stand mixer, beat the cream and vanilla until soft peaks form. Add the powdered sugar and beat until stiff.
Transfer one cake layer onto a thin cutting board, then slide onto a serving platter. Brush with kirsch if you have it. Spoon on about a third of the whipped cream and spread to cover most of the surface of the cake, leaving a thin border of cake uncovered (so there's room for the cream to squish out a bit) and making the outer edge of the cream slightly taller than the middle (so it will mostly contain the cherries). Spoon on about a third of the cherry pie filling. Repeat with the other two cake layers. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
