To make the cake, line 2 9-inch (23cm) round cake pans with parchment paper and spray the pans with cooking spray as well.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Cut the vanilla pod lengthwise and scrape the seeds inside.

In a mixing bowl with paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add eggs, buttermilk, scraped vanilla beans and vanilla extract and mix well, about 3 minutes. Stir in the flour mixture and mix until everything is well combined, 2-3 minutes.

Divide the batter into cake pans and bake for 23-25 minutes, or until the inserted tooth pick comes out clean. Let the cakes cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. (At this point, cake layers can be wrapped and stored at room temperature for up to 1 day.)

To make the frosting, place the freeze-dry raspberries in between 2 sheets of parchment paper. Using a rolling pin, crush the berries into a fine powder. Alternatively, you can pulse the berries in a small food processor. Sift the powder through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds.

In a large mixing bowl with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter until nice and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add powdered sugar, raspberry powder, heavy cream, vanilla extract and salt. Beat on low until the mixture is combined, then increase the speed to medium high. Beat for about 3 minutes, or until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.

To assemble the cake, place one layer of vanilla cake on a cake platter. Using a small offset spatula, spread about 1/3 of the frosting evenly and place the second cake layer on top. Cover the whole cake with the remaining frosting. Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour before serving.

Check out this tutorial for easy chocolate cage decoration.