Directions

1. Make the cake Preheat oven to 325° F. Butter or spray two 8-inch round cake pans. Dust the pans with flour, shaking out excess.

2. Put the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; briefly process on low speed to combine. Add the butter to the bowl, beat on low until the mixture is a uniformly sandy texture.
3. Put the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla into a separate bowl and whisk until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, add half the sour cream mixture to the flour mixture. When almost combined, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the remaining half. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat for about 1 minute until smooth.
4. Divide the batter equally between the cake pans. Bake for 30 minutes, rotate the pans, and bake for a further 20-25 minutes. (50 minutes–1 hour total bake time.) Cool the cakes in the pans for 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to cool completely.

5. Make the ganache Put the cream and baies roses into a small saucepan set over medium heat. When the cream is very hot but not boiling, turn off the heat, and let steep for 30 minutes–1 hour.

6. Put the chocolate chips into the bowl of a stand mixer. Return the saucepan of cream to the stove over medium heat. When the cream is very hot, pour it through a fine-mesh sieve into the bowl, over the chocolate chips. (Discard the baies roses left in the strainer.) Gently stir the cream and chocolate until smooth. Stir in the rose water.
7. Let the ganache cool at room temperature, or in the fridge, until it’s the consistency of peanut butter.

8. Assemble the cake Slice each cake in half around the horizon (netting two rounds from each cake). Place one round on a plate and spread 2 tablespoons of jam over it; stack another round on top of that and spread jam on that, too. Repeat once more, then top the stack with the last round (no jam on that, though!).

9. Whip the cooled ganache in the stand-mixer — this will not take long, just around 1 minute. Working quickly, frost the cake with the whipped ganache (it will start to firm up shortly after whipping). Decorate the cake with raspberries, if using, and a generous sprinkle of baies roses.