Forgive the whimsy of its naming, but every time I've tried to rename this cake, I veer back to this. I used to refer to it as Venetian chocolate cake, because its inspiration comes from a cake of that name in Nick Malgieri's luscious chocolate book but as my cake changed from his specifications, the title seemed misleading. Anyway, it's ended up like this simply because Caz, the designer, art director and adviser on my books ever since How To Eat, remarked on its baroque appearance as we were photographing it; from baroque to rococo to "rococoa" was an obvious stagger. And please read the Additional Information section at the end of the recipe before proceeding. For US cup measures, use the toggle at the top of the ingredients list.