Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder in a bowl and set aside.

Whisk together the sugar and vegetable oil in a separate large bowl. Whisk in the buttermilk, followed by the eggs (one at a time) and vanilla. Add in the food coloring, a very small amount at a time, so you can judge when the color is right. When you add in the dry ingredients, the cocoa powder will lend depth and darkness to the red.

Mix the bowl of dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, a little bit at a time, until just combined.

Place the strained raspberry sauce back in the pan, add the sugar, cocoa and cornstarch. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 minutes stirring with a whisk constantly. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly and bring to boil again over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer for 2-3 more minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and allow the sauce to cool slightly before using. If the sauce gets too thick after a while just add a bit of milk.

Next pour a thin layer of the Chocolate Raspberry Sauce over the cake layer and add a layer of fresh raspberries. We like to stand them up and place them in a circle, but you can just throw them in if you’d like.

Next add a thick layer of mascarpone cream and smooth the top the back of a spoon or spatula. Finally, sprinkle cocoa powder on top and line the edges with fresh raspberries. Garnish with some red velvet cake crumbs and mint leaves and serve!