Chocolate Christmas Torte

Baking cocoa
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tablespoons raspberry syrup
6 eggs
1 package (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (1 cup), melted and cooled
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 packages (12 ounces each) frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed
White Chocolate Filling (below)
2 ounces white baking bars (white chocolate), from 6-ounce package, melted
Hot fudge sauce or topping, if desired

Heat oven to 400�F. Grease bottoms and sides of 2 round pans, 8x1 1/2 inches; dust with cocoa. Beat sugar and butter in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in liqueur, eggs and melted semisweet chocolate. Stir in flour. Pour into pans. Bake about 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely.

Place raspberries in blender or food processor. Cover and blend on high speed, stopping blender occasionally to scrape sides, until almost smooth; strain. Prepare White Chocolate Filling.

Place 1 cake layer on serving plate; spread with filling. Make about 1/4-inch deep ring in filling 1 inch from edge of cake, using tip of spoon. Make another 1/4-inch-deep ring 1 inch inside outer ring. Fill each ring with about 5 tablespoons raspberry puree. Place second cake layer on filling. Drizzle melted white chocolate over top of cake.

Refrigerate uncovered about 10 minutes or until candy coating is set. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours until filling is firm. Serve with remaining raspberry puree and fudge sauce. Cover and refrigerate any remaining dessert.

White Chocolate Filling

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
4 ounces white baking bars (white chocolate), from 6-ounce package, melted and cooled
1/8 teaspoon vanilla

Beat margarine and powdered sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in white chocolate and vanilla until smooth.