Pi Cake

Pi in cake form or cake in pi form. Either way, it's tasty.

Step 1: Bake the Cake Layers

The cake itself is made from scratch to make three 9x9 layers. The cake recipe is from here.

- 3 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup baking cocoa
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/3 cups sour cream
- 1 1/3 cups boiling water

DIRECTIONS
In a mixing bowl, cream brown sugar and butter. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Blend in vanilla.

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in other mixing bowl.

Add dry mix alternately with sour cream to the creamed mixture. Mix on low just until combined.

Stir in water until blended.

Pour into three greased and floured 9x9 baking pans.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes. Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Step 2: Make Raspberry Sauce

Chocolate needs raspberries or at least that's my opinion.

Thaw out 8 - 10 oz. of frozen raspberries or rinse off fresh ones.
Stir in 3 - 4 spoonfuls of raspberry preserves.

Mix it up, taste, and adjust accordingly.

Step 3: Spread on Raspberry and Layer the Cake

Put a nice thin layer of the raspberry mix on top of the bottom layer and add the next layer. Repeat.

Step 4: Cut Cake in Shape of Pi

Make a pi shape in paper or plastic and use it as a guide to cut the cake.

Step 5: Add Frosting

I only added frosting to the top so that the pi shape would be clearer and easier to see. You can frost the whole thing if you want.

Frosting recipe:
- One stick of butter at room temperature
- 1/2 package of powdered sugar
- splash of Grand Marnier
- a few ounces of half-and-half

Start by blending the butter and powdered sugar. Then add the splash of Grand Marnier for flavor. Finally, slowly blend in the half-and-half until the frosting is at the consistency you like.

Now eat!