• Position two oven racks towards the center of the oven, and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease three 8-inch round baking pans with baking spray and line the bottoms with parchment paper. If you have them, wrap water-soaked fabric cake strips around the pans.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture and whisk until no streaks of flour remain. Slowly pour in the hot coffee while whisking until fully combined.
• Divide the batter evenly among the prepared cake pans. Bake for 20 minutes then carefully rotate the pans between oven racks, and continue baking for an additional 6 minutes or until the centers feel springy when gently pressed and the sides of the cakes start to pull away from the pan. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 20 minutes, then carefully invert them onto cooling racks to cool completely.

Make the Filling:

• While the cakes are baking, combine the raspberries, sugar, and 1 tablespoon of water or chambord in a small saucepan. Set over medium heat, and cook, stirring frequently and gently mash the raspberries a few times, until the berries turn juicy and start to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often.
• In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons of water or chambord. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the raspberries, and cook, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens and no longer looks cloudy, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

Make the Frosting:

• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt on medium speed until soft and creamy, about 2 minutes. Sift in the cocoa powder and mix on low speed until combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl.
• While mixing on low speed, gradually add in the powdered sugar alternating with a tablespoon of cream. If desired, replace 1 or 2 tablespoons of the cream with chambord and add it to the frosting.
• Once all of the sugar is added, beat in the vanilla. Scrape down the bowl and beat on medium-low speed until light, fluffy, and easily spreadable, about 1 minute. Place 1 cup (250g) of frosting in a piping bag and snip off about ½” opening at the end.

Assemble the Cake:

• Place one cooled cake layer on a cake stand and spread ¼ cup (62g) of frosting in a thin layer on top of the cake. Using the reserved 1 cup of frosting, pipe a thin border around the edge of the cake to form a dam to hold in the raspberry filling. Add half of the raspberry filling inside the border and spread it into an even layer.
• Place another cake layer on top and repeat with more frosting and the rest of the filling. Place the final cake layer on top, bottom side up so the cake top is level. Spread the remaining frosting all over the outside of the cake. Chill for 1 hour.

Make the Ganache:

• Towards the end of the cakes chill time, combine the chocolate and cream in a medium microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high in 30-second intervals, stirring between each one, until the chocolate is fully melted and the ganache is smooth.
• Spread the ganache on top of the chilled cake, letting it run off the top and drip down the sides. Immediately arrange fresh raspberries on top of the cake, if desired. Chill the cake for an additional 30 minutes to let the ganache set before slicing.