In a bowl, mix together 3/4 cup (150 grams) sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt and espresso powder.

In a medium bowl, place chopped chocolate along with remaining 50 grams sugar. Heat water until almost boiling, then pour over chocolate. Let sit for 30 seconds, then whisk until smooth. Set aside and let cool to lukewarm, then whisk in vanilla and brandy.

In a large bowl, whisk egg and egg yolk until lightened and frothy. Whisk in buttermilk and vegetable oil. Add cooled chocolate mixture and whisk until smooth. Add dry ingredients and fold until just incorporated.

Pour batter into prepared baking pan, spreading into an even layer.

Bake for 28 to 32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached.

Remove from oven and place on a rack to cool completely. If you want, place a slightly smaller, flat-bottomed baking pan on top of the cooling cake: this will gently flatten any dome on top of the cake and save you time trimming later (lightly butter the bottom of the second pan to prevent sticking).

At this point you can freeze the cooled cake, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, for up to 1 month.

Combine egg whites, sugar, salt and maraschino syrup in a double boiler (or use your metal stand mixer bowl set over a pot of gently simmering water–the bottom of the bowl should sit over, not touch, the water below). Whisk vigorously until frothy and warm to the touch (will read 160 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer) and sugar is completely dissolved.

Return bowl to stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until bowl is cool to the touch (will read approximately 70 degrees F) and meringue has whipped into stiff, glossy peaks.

Switch over to the paddle attachment.

With the mixer running on medium speed, add 1 chunk of butter at a time, increasing speed and mixing until butter is completely incorporated before adding the next piece. Your buttercream will start to soften, going from stiff peaks to soft soup. If at any point it begins to curdle, stop adding butter and increase mixer speed to high, beating until it comes together again before adding the remaining butter.

Add vanilla, almond extract and brandy and beat until incorporated.

Transfer about 1 cup of buttercream (230 grams if you want to be exact) to a separate bowl, and fold in lukewarm chocolate until evenly incorporated.

Add food coloring as desired to remaining buttercream, mixing until color is evenly distributed.

At this point, finished buttercream can be refrigerated or frozen until ready to use (transfer to a zip-top bag or press a layer of plastic wrap over the surface of the buttercream so it doesn't come into contact with the air). If chilled, be sure you let your buttercream come fully to room temperature (which could take upwards of 1-2 hours) before assembling your cake.

Trim cake to remove any domed top if there is one. Once it's flat, cut the cake in half to create two approximately 4-by-8-inch rectangles.

Spread the chocolate buttercream on top of one of the rectangles, then place the second cake layer on top, pressing lightly to adhere. Use an offset spatula to scrape off any chocolate buttercream that may have squeezed out the sides.

Coat the cake with a thin layer of pink buttercream, squaring off the corners as best you can (this is called a crumb coat and helps the final layer of buttercream go on cleaner and crumb-free). Refrigerate for 15 minutes until set.

Use a large offset spatula to spread on the remaining frosting (reserve a little bit for the final decoration if desired), smoothing it out or creating rustic swirls.

If you have any frosting left, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a large star tip, and pipe into 4 or 5 rosettes on the top of the cake. Place a stem-on maraschino cherry (drained and patted dry) in the center of each rosette.

Slice and serve at room temperature. Cake can be stored, covered or wrapped as airtightly as possible, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Bring to room temperature prior to serving.