Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare two 9-inch round cake pans by greasing and flouring them.

In a large mixing bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk thoroughly.

Add wet ingredients: eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla to the dry mixture and beat for 2 minutes until smooth.

Stir in boiling water until the batter is smooth. The batter will be thin.

Pour evenly into prepared pans and bake for 30–35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

Once cooled, slice each cake layer horizontally in half to create four layers.

Drain cherries and reserve juice for moisten the cake layers.

Whip together the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

Layer the cake: moisten each layer with cherry juice, add whipped cream, and cherries. Repeat with two more layers.

Cover the entire cake with remaining whipped cream, decorate with chocolate shavings and cherries.

Chill the assembled cake in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving.