Shelly's Recipe

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY TUNNEL CAKE

Category: Cakes

2/3 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2/3 cup baking cocoa
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/3 cups milk

Filling
2 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese, room temperature
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp almond extract
2 drops red food coloring
1 (12 oz) carton frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
1 cup fresh raspberries
Lemon peel strips and additional raspberries

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in vanilla extract. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.

Pour into a greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to wire rack and cool completely. Cut a 1 inch slices off top of cake; set aside. Hollow out the bottom portion of cake, leaving a 1 inch shell. Cute the removed cake to measure 1 cup; set aside. (Save remaining cake for another use.)

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in milk, lemon juice, extract and food coloring. Fold in 1 cup whipped topping. Set aside 1 cup cream cheese mixture and fold berries and reserved cake cubes into remaining mixture. Fill tunnel with mixture and replace top.

Spread reserved cream cheese mixture over top of cake to within 1 inch of edge. Frost top edge and sides with remaining whipped topping. Garnish with lemon peel and reserved raspberries. Keep refrigerated.