Chocolate Cake

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8" baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs and vanilla. 

Fold the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in thirds, stirring gently with a spatula until just combined. 

Stir in the hot coffee until evenly incorporated. The batter should be smooth and glossy.

Pour the batter into prepared pan and place in the oven. Bake for 30 - 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Place the cake pan on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 20 minutes before removing it from the pan and placing it directly on a cooling rack to cool completely. 

Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting

Crush the freeze dried raspberries with a mortar and pestle, in a food processor or by placing them in a sealed plastic baggie and gently rolling and pounding them with a rolling pin. Keep crushing them until they become a fine powder.

Sift the raspberry powder through a fine mesh sieve to remove any large seeds. Then sift the freeze dried raspberry powder together with the powdered sugar, salt and pink peppercorns, if you are using. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, cream cheese and vanilla extract until completely smooth.

With the mixer on a slow speed, gradually add the sifted powdered sugar and raspberry mix. Blend until the color is evenly distributed throughout the frosting. 

Decorate The Cake

Once the cake has cooled completely, center the cake on a plate or cake stand. Pile the frosting in the center of the cake, then use an offset spatula to spread the Raspberry Cream Cheese Frosting almost too the edges. Then use the spatula to create swooping swirls over the top of the cake. Top with a wreath of fresh raspberries encircling the edges. Slice and serve!