CAKE LAYERS

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper. 
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer, add softened butter and granulated sugar and mix until creamy. 
3. Add egg yolks, sour cream  and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated. 
4. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl – flour, baking powder and salt and add to the mixer on the lowest speed just until it’s crumbly. 
5. Add 4 tablespoons of mix and stir on the lowest speed. Add another tablespoon if needed. 
6. Turn contents of the bowl out on a lightly floured surface and knead lightly until it comes together in a smooth dough.
7. Cut into three equal balls of dough. To be precise you can measure the dough on a digital scale and divide by three. 
8. Roll the dough on a floured surface into three same-sized rectangles (9×13 is a good size). You can trim the ends to perfectly match up after baking as needed. 
9. Poke wholes over the surface of the dough with a fork.
10. Bake the dough rectangles on parchment lined paper for about 12-15 minutes. The edges should start to lightly brown and the dough will start to look golden. Set aside to cool. 

FILLING 

1. Simmer one cup of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla in a small saucepan.
2. Crumble one of the cooled cake layers into small piece in a large bowl.
3. Pour warm vanilla milk in the bowl with the crumbled pastry and set aside. 
4. Reduce Rum: Pour rum into a small saucepan and let it simmer on low heat for about 8-10 minutes until reduces to about half the quantity. You should have about 4 tablespoons. Set aside.
5. Whip softened butter and confectioners’ sugar in a standing mixer with a paddle attachment until creamy. Add cocoa powder, cherry preserves, cooled reduced rum mixture and mix until incorporated. 
6. Add softened pastry crumble mixture and mix to incorporate. 
7. Transfer mixture to a heavy saucepan on medium heat. Gradually add the two cups of milk stirring frequently until the mixture starts to thicken. Add chocolate chips or chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted. 
8. Transfer to a bowl, cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. 
9. Whip the heavy cream with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Add the 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. 
10. Once the filling mixture has cooled, use a rubber spatula to fold in the whipped cream until there are no white streaks. Refrigerate until ready to use. 

CHOCOLATE GANACHE TOPPING 

1. Set up a double boiler over low heat and melt the chocolate until it is smooth. Be careful not to scorch it. Remove the bowl.
2. Add butter, heavy cream, rum, salt and espresso powder and stir until smooth. 

ASSEMBLY

1. On a piece of parchment paper on a baking tray or cutting board, add your first cake/pastry layer. You can optionally gently trim the edges as needed with a very sharp knife to get clean, straight lines and/or ensure the layers are about the same size. 
2. Using an angled spatula or a pastry bag, coat the entire surface with the chocolate filling, being careful not to get too close the edge, as the filling will spread when you add the next cake/pastry layer on top.
3. Add the second pastry layer.  Using a pastry brush, lightly brush the top layer with a thin coat of milk (which can optionally include a little vanilla or a little more rum for flavor.) Don’t oversaturate. The goal is to slightly soften the top layer for clean lines when cutting. 
4. While the chocolate ganache is still warm, spread it evenly over the top rectangle. Once you are happy with the smoothness, you can optionally sprinkle sea salt, chopped nut or crushed burnt sugar/ caramel for an added crunch.

SERVING INSTRUCTIONS 

Refrigerate for several hours or overnight so the filling sets and the flavors have a chance to mature.  When you’re ready to cut, use a sharp knife to carefully cut into rectangles or squares.