Black Forest Cake

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of two greased 9-inch round baking pans with parchment and grease the paper. In a large bowl, beat the milk, eggs, oil and vanilla until they're well blended.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the milk mixture.

Divide the cake batter between the prepared cake pans. Bake the cakes for 30 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans for 10 minutes before removing them to wire racks. Remove the paper and let the cake layers cool completely.

While the cakes cool, make the filling. Drain the cherries, reserving 1/2 cup of the juice. In a small saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch and the reserved juice. Add the cherries. Cook and stir the mixture over low heat for 10 to 12 minutes or until it's thickened and bubbly. Remove the filling from the heat and stir in the brandy. Let the filling cool completely.

In a large bowl, beat the cream until it begins to thicken. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff peaks form.

Using a long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Top it with 1-1/2 cups of whipped cream. Spread 3/4 cup of the filling on top, spreading to within an inch of the edge. Repeat this step twice. Top the stacked cake with the remaining cake layer, resulting in four layers of chocolate cake. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining whipped cream, reserving a portion to pipe decorations, if desired. Spoon the remaining filling onto the top of the cake. Refrigerate the cake until serving.