Hi, all!

This is the new Chocolate Pavorati with a pineapple coconut frosting of my own invention.  I made three 8” layers, rather than two 9” layers.

The Pavorati was very nice and moist, and the cake was a big hit.  Although the White Chocolate Whisper Cake is my fave white cake, and the Golden Luxury Butter Cake is my fave yellow (both use white chocolate), the Pavorati does not top my choloate list—it is still topped by The Chocolate Fudge Cake and the Perfect All American Chocolate Cake & Torte. 

My frosting was made up of odds and ends—1c milk in which I’d steeped 1c. sweetened coconut (then drained) and thickened with 1/4 c flour; 1c coconut milk, cooked down to 1/2 c; 5oz powdered freeze dried pineapple; 2 sticks of butter; 8 oz white chocolate; some dried, unsweetened coconut; and a little bottle of Malibu rum (which you couldn’t taste and which I might have just as well have drank—drunk?).  It was VERY good, light and fluffy and went perfectly with the chocolate cake. 

More dried, unsweetened coconut on the outside.

The cake was a big hit—I also found it very delicious!  All of the flavors blended wonderfully.

—ak

Anne, it’s beautiful and luscious looking!  The three layers look tall and fluffy, and I like the contrast of pale frosting and dark cake

How would you describe the texture and flavor of the pavorotti compared to the all-american?

Thanks, Julie!

Usually, I have trouble with my cakes rising, but both the Grands on my previous post and these layers rose like crazy, so the cake was hugely teall.

I can’t really compare the texture to the All American or to the Fudge, except to say they’re all the texture I like:  Very moist, but not fudgy the way a brownie or a flourless cake can be.  Cake, rather than brownie or flourless, texture, yet not at all crumbly or tender.  In other words, the Pavorati, like the American & Fudge, is cake-like, slices well, not dry, not too tender (doesn’t fall apart or crumble) and moist, without the denseness of a brownie-type or flourless chocolate cake texture and not squishy and spongy like an oil cake.

The flavor—and I didn’t say anything before on purpose, because I don’t know what it is.  To me, it had an off-ish flavor.  I described it as “extra bitter chocolate cake with pineapple coconut frosting,” so if anyone else noticed it it would have an explanation, but that’s the best I can say.  Luckily, it went really well with the frosting, but it bugged me.  It had an edge to it I wasn’t thrilled with, but I don’t know why it was there.  I don’t know if the caramelization of the white chocolate on the top of the layers or around the pan edge had something to do with it or if it’s related to something else. 

—ak

I do not know how I missed this.. very clever on the frosting.

Well, thank ya ma’am!!!!

Wow It looks great! So tall, and I LOVE the contrasting cake and frosting.
It’s odd that the recipe uses white chocolate- usually chocolate cake use dark chocolate to amp the chocolate flavour. I guess it’s more for the texture?
What kind of white chocolate did you use?

Hi, McBrownie!

Thank you for the compliment!

I used Ghiradelli—that’s what my groc has, and I really like it (even better than Green & Blacks).

I guess Rose figured since she had a white chocolate variation for the egg yolk cake (Golden Luxury Butter Cake) and for the egg white cake (White Chocolate Whisper Cake), she might as well make one for chocoalte cake, too!  It was not my fave of her chocolate cakes—I love the Chocolate Fudge Cake and the Perfect All American Chocolage Butter Cake (and Torte) the best.

—ak

Anne, it looks very pretty and so tall!!! I am amazed at your frosting concoction! Your layers are so perfect too. I’m sorry you didn’t like it as much.

Wow!!!  That is some tall cake.  You always amaze me with your frosting ideas ( and they always seem to turn out great )

I am not that brave.  I need to follow a recipe.

Anne, that is one beautiful cake! I think the elegance of its beauty is in its simplicity of just white coconut frosting and dark cake. Lately I’ve been all about doing piping work and I often lose sight of the fact that a cake does not need a lot of fancy piping to be beautiful. Then, when you cut into your cake you have a wonderful contrast between the dark color of the cake and the white from the frosting and filling. I also like how tall it is. This is just amazing. I love it. Nicely done!

Thank you, everyone!

@Jenn & Liza—Frostings are pretty safe to experiment with, becuase, as long as you have something to thicken an thin them with, it’s very easy to adjust them.  Now the cake itself is another matter (for me, anyway) ... I’ve had some serious disasters, there!

@MP—I wish I had the ability to pipe so I could do these by choice, rather than default!

Anne in NC - 30 January 2013 05:19 PM

@MP—I wish I had the ability to pipe so I could do these by choice, rather than default!

You’ll get there eventually (if you really want to). However, I still think that using things like ground nuts or coconut shavings can add a great deal to the overall beauty of a cake. Using a cake comb can also create some great effects.

Although my piping skills have improved over the years, I still have a lot of room for improvement and I practice at home quite a bit. You can make Rose’s “practice buttercream” or a regular one for about the same price (maybe cheaper, depending on where you shop and what you use) and spend time practicing while watching tv or listening to music. That’s what I do. Anyway, I just love your cake here. It’s gorgeous.