Preheat your oven to 350°F and grease two 8-inch round pans with vegetable oil. Mix your dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder—in a medium bowl and set aside. This takes about 2 minutes and keeps your batter smooth.

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes with an electric mixer. Add eggs one at a time, mixing for about 20 seconds between each one. The mixture should look pale and slightly thick when you're done.

Add vanilla extract to your wet mixture and stir. Alternate adding the dry mixture and milk, starting and ending with dry ingredients. Mix on low speed just until combined—don't overmix or your cake gets tough (I learned that the hard way).

Divide batter unevenly: pour two-thirds into one prepared pan and one-third into the other. Bake the thinner layer 28-30 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. The thicker layer takes about 33-35 minutes. Cool completely on wire racks—this matters because warm cake falls apart when you stack it.

Once cooled, place the thicker chocolate cake layer on your serving plate. Spread raspberry jam across the top, leaving a ½-inch border. Carefully layer the thinner cake on top of the jam filling.

Frost your entire patriotic pinata cake cozy with whipped cream using an offset spatula. This part feels easier if you chill the whipped cream for 10 minutes first. Dollop blueberry compote on top and let some drip naturally down the sides—mine always does and it looks intentional.

Chill for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving. When you slice, you'll see that beautiful berry layer surprise inside. Careful not to press down too hard or you'll squeeze the filling out the sides.