Preheat your oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round cake pans.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt by sifting them together.

Add the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract to the dry ingredients. Mix until smooth.

Slowly stir in the hot water or coffee. The batter will be thin.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. After that, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a saucepan, combine the pitted cherries, sugar, and ¼ cup of water.

Cook over medium heat until the mixture begins to simmer.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with a bit of water to create a slurry. Stir this into the cherry mixture.

Stir in the cherry liqueur if using. Cook for another minute until thickened.

Remove from heat and let the cherry filling cool completely.

In a cold bowl, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks develop.

Carefully slice each cooled cake horizontally to make four layers total.

Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread a layer of cherry filling over it.

Spread a layer of whipped cream over the cherries.

Repeat the layers with the remaining cake, cherry filling, and whipped cream.

Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining whipped cream.

Garnish with chocolate shavings and fresh cherries if desired.

Refrigerate the cake for at least 2 hours before serving.