ONE DAY BEFORE BAKING CAKE:

• 2 cans dark, pitted cherries
• some dark rum

Drain cherries well, discard liquid. Chop or slice cherries in half, put into small bowl or jar (glass is best); pour enough rum into container to cover cherries. Tightly cover container and let marinade in refrigerator overnight.

CAKE

• 1 package Duncan Hines Deluxe Devil’s Food Cake Mix
• 2 Tbsp. extra all-purpose white flour
• 1 4-oz. package instant chocolate pudding
• 3/ 4 cup oil
• 5 eggs
• 1/ 2 cup dark rum
• 3/ 4 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ingredients in large bowl and mix thoroughly. Grease tube pan and dust lightly with flour. Place batter in pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in cake comes out clean. Place cake upside down on rack, removing pan, and allow to cool.

While cake is cooling, thoroughly drain run-soaked cherries, cover, and set aside. Save "rum marinade," cover tightly, and set that aside, too. Start to prepare filling.

FILLING

• 2 cups whipping cream
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• dash salt
• 1/ 2 cup Hershey’s cocoa
• 1/ 2 jigger (shot glass) Chocolate-Cherry liqueur
• 1/ 2 jigger (shot glass) Coffee liqueur

In a chilled ceramic or glass bowl, whip the cream. When cream begins to thicken, mix in sugar, cocoa, and dash salt. Add liqueur. Mix thoroughly, cover, and set aside in refrigerator.

ASSEMBLY OF CAKE

Take cooled cake and divide into 4 layers. (Using a knife, make shallow cuts around cake to mark layers. Then, using clean, white sewing thread or clean, unflavored dental floss, carefully cut layers all the way through along marked lines using a slow back and forth sawing motion) Separate layers onto plates and sprinkle each layer with some of the reserved "rum marinade."

Take prepared filling from refrigerator and spread approximately 1/ 6 of mixture on bottom layer. Sprinkle on 1 /3 of the drained, marinated cherry pieces, pressing cherries lightly into filling. Add second layer of cake and repeat the filling process. Add third layer and fill again. Top of with fourth layer of cake and set aside. Start to prepare glaze.

GLAZE

• 1 12-oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/ 2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 jigger (shot glass) Chocolate-Cherry liqueur
• 1 jigger (shot glass) dark rum

In a small pot or sauce pan, over low heat, melt chocolate chips, stirring constantly. When melted, remove from heat and stir in powdered sugar. Add cocolate-cherry liqueur and rum. Stir well. Glaze should be rather thick. (If glaze seems too thin, add more powdered sugar; if too thick, add more liqueur.) Before glaze has a chance to cool and harden, VERY QUICKLY cover cake with glaze (top, sides, and inner "tube" opening).

NOTE: Save any leftover glaze in tightly covered container in refrigerator. Keeps for a long time. Use for frosting for cupcakes, etc. (To soften glaze again, set container in warm water.)

DECORATION

If desired, before glaze can harden on cake, quickly decorate with pecan halves or finely chopped walnuts.

SUGGESTION

It is best to fully prepare and assemble this cake 2 to 3 days ahead of time to allow the flavors to go through. Remember to always keep in refrigerator, tightly covered. Place cake on table just prior to serving. After serving, do not allow any leftovers to sit out for any length of time, but cover tightly and refrigerate promptly. If covered well and refrigerated promptly, leftover cake will easily keep for 2-3 weeks.