Raspberry Cream Cake

Directions

1. 1
   Mix cake mix with eggs, oil and water and bake according to your package's directions. For this cake, I used two square pans and then cut the two layers in half. I did this crazy thing because I needed two desserts for two separate small meetings and splitting the cake in half just saved me time. You can use two 9-inch round pans or three 8-inch rounds. Your choice.
2. 2
   Once the cake is baked, let it cool completely.
3. 3
   While it is cooling, wash the raspberries and drain. In a small bowl, sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of sugar over the berries and let it soak in. Set aside.
4. 4
   Mix up your whipping cream. Beat it on high until it starts to get thick then add in powdered sugar and vanilla. Finish beating until peaks form and it is a good thick consistency. Stick this in the fridge until you are ready to frost the cake.
5. 5
   By now the sugar should have soaked into the berries. Remove them from the bowl and place them on a couple of paper towels to absorb any extra liquid or juice. If you are garnishing with mint, rinse it off and pat dry while you are doing the berries.
6. 6
   Place your first cake layer on your plate or platter. Using the cream cheese frosting, spread on both the top of this layer and the bottom of the second layer. I did a thin layer, but you can put it on as thick as you like.
7. 7
   Next, spread on about half the can of raspberry pie filling. If you are making a three layer cake, you will use all the filling. If you are making a two layer cake, you will have leftovers. I scooped my leftovers into a Ziploc and tossed in the freezer to use for something tasty in the future.
8. 8
   Place the next cake layer on the bottom one, frosting side down. The frosting acts like glue to hold the layers together. I learned that the hard way when I made three layers of this cake with just the filling and the layers started sliding every which direction when we attempted to cut it.
9. 9
   Now that the top layer is in place, get the whipping cream out of the fridge and liberally spread all over the cake. Feel free to be generous with the whipping cream.
10. 10
    Top off the cake by scattering fresh raspberries across the top. You can garnish with mint leaves if you so desire. I desired because it just looks so pretty!
11. 11
    Put the cake into the fridge until you are ready to serve and when you do, be prepared to enjoy the compliments!