Chocolate Cream Cheese Cookie

1. Grease and flour three 8x1 1/2 or 9x11/2 inch cake pans; set aside. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

2. In a mixing bowl beat together cream cheese, butter or margarine, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed till fluft~~ Add melted chocolate; beat till well blended.

3. Alternately beat in the 8 cups powdered sugar and the 1/2 cup milk. Transfer 3 1/2 cups of the mixture to another large mixing bowl to use for part of the cake batter and set aside.

4. You should have about 2 cups of the mixture remaining, which will be used for the frosting. To this mixture, beat in enough of the additional 1 to 2 cups of sifted powdered sugar to make it a spreading consistency ~ Cover frosting and refrigerate till needed.

Add eggs to the 3 1/2 cups cream cheese rnixture; beat 1 minute at mediurn speed. Add flour mixture and the 1 cup milk alternately to the egg mtxture, beating at low speed after each addition just till com-
bined. Pour batter into prepared pans. ('f you don't have three cake pans of the same size, chill a portion of the cake batter for up to 1 hour before baking.) Bake in a 3500 oven for 25 to 30 minutes for 8-inch pans and 22 to 25 mmutes for 9-inch pans or till a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove; cool on wire racks. Remove frosting from refrig-
erator about 30 minutes before frost-
ing the cake. Place one cake layer on serving plate; spread with half of the raspberry preserves. Top with second layer; spread with remaining jam. Top with third cake layer. Spread top and sides with frosting. Cut in wedges to serve. Gamish each serv-
ing with a white Chocolate Star and fresh raspberries, if desired. Makes 16 servings.