Torta Caprese is a flourless cake, made with only almonds, eggs, dark chocolate. It’s the most famous cake of Capri, a gluten-free dessert, easy to prepare and conquers everyone for its gluttony.
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The Caprese cake is for sure the most famous of Capri! It’s made with only almonds, eggs, dark chocolate.
A gluten-free dessert, easy to prepare that conquers everyone for its gluttony.
What is the history of the Torta Caprese?
As with most of the typical dishes of Italian cuisine, the Caprese also has many stories about its origin.
One of the legends tells that the king of Naples married an Austrian princess who loved the Sachertorte. For this reason, the chefs of the royal palace, trying to reproduce the Austrian cake so loved by the princess, created the Caprese cake.
But undoubtedly the most famous, and intriguing, legend around Capri is another.
In fact, it is said that the Caprese was invented by chance around 1920 by chef Carmine di Fiore. It seems that this chef was supposed to prepare a dessert for some “Mafiosi” (there are even those who speak of Al Capone) on the island. And perhaps, out of fear and agitation, he forgot to add the flour when preparing the dessert. It was a real triumph, a unique cake scented with almonds, soft and moist inside, and light and crunchy on the outside.
How to prepare and serve an excellent Torta Caprese
Preparing the Caprese cake is quite simple, but there are several recipes out there. This one that I propose is my version in which I use both, a part of almond flour and a part of chopped toasted almonds.
The Caprese cake remains very soft thanks to the whipped egg whites, the dough is without yeast specifically to make it compact. The creaminess of the ingredients is concentrated in a few centimeters of unrivaled sinful cake.
The inside is so melt-in-your-mouth that it recalls the taste of chocolate bonbons.
I suggest you serve the slices of this cake, with a ball of vanilla ice cream or with a dollop of whipped cream. It will be so delicious that it will please everyone.
My tips for a perfect success
Create a fluffy and soft mixture. To give the cake the right consistency, since the flour is not present in the dough, whip the sugar with egg yolks for a long time together (at least 10-15 minutes at maximum speed). Keep in mind that the mixture must swell and must at least triple its volume.
Use quality chocolate. Choose a great extra dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa. Better if organic!
Make it in advance. Prepare your Caprese cake the day before and store it under a glass bell jar. The flavors will be accentuated and the texture will be perfect!
Be very careful when cooking. Check the center of the cake with a toothpick after about 40 minutes because if it comes out slightly moist, it means that it is cooked. The Caprese, in fact, must not be overcooked because otherwise, it will dry out.
Which mold to use
The Caprese cake is a cake without yeast, which therefore is not very thick. I prepare it with a 10 inch. Aluminum Round Cake Pan like this one. In this way, I get a nice cake about 2.5 cm high that fits up to 6 people.
On the other hand, if you prefer a slightly taller Caprese cake, you can use a smaller pan like this one, without changing the doses of the recipe.
Alternatively, even though it wouldn’t be in the original recipe, you can add a teaspoon of baking powder to the dough.
Torta Caprese - Flourless Almond Chocolate Cake
Torta Caprese is a flourless cake, made with only almonds, eggs, dark chocolate.
A gluten-free dessert, that conquers everyone for its gluttony.
Ingredients
- 170 g organic almond flour
- 70 g organic blanched almonds
- 130 g dark chocolate
- 125 g butter
- 110 g sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 pinch of salt
- powdered sugar
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 150 ° C (about 300 ° F).
- Arrange the almonds on a baking sheet with parchment paper and toast for about 10 minutes.
- Then remove from the oven, cool, and set aside. When cooled, chop coarsely in a food processor.
- Melt the chocolate in a double boiler on the stove and set it aside.
- Whip the butter with 50 g. of sugar until a creamy and foamy consistency is obtained.
- Separate the egg whites and whisk them until stiff peaks with 50 g of sugar for at least 10 minutes.
- Beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar.
- At this point, take a large bowl and pour the almond flour inside. Add the whipped butter first, then the whipped egg yolks, and mix with a spatula.
- When the mixture is blended, add the melted chocolate, the chopped almonds, and finally the whipped egg whites.
- Adjust with a small pinch of salt to fix the acidity. With the spatula, mix to gently absorb the egg whites into the mixture, without crushing the air bubbles.
- Grease and flour a 10-inch diameter cake pan. Pour the mixture into the pan and level the flat surface with the help of the spatula.
- Raise the oven temperature to 180 C ° (356 F °). Cook on static mode for 35 minutes.
- After this time, do the test with the toothpick. Dip the toothpick in the center of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done.
- Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- Meanwhile, prepare the icing sugar in the sugar shaker.
When the cake is cold, turn it upside down on a plate. Finally, sprinkle with icing sugar. - Buon Appetito!
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 686Total Fat: 46gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 27gCholesterol: 140mgSodium: 256mgCarbohydrates: 60gFiber: 6gSugar: 50gProtein: 13g
Nutrition Data is automatically calculated and may be not accurate.
What to pair with the Torta Caprese
This delicious cake is perfect both for a tea party and as a dessert after a meal.
You can pair it perfectly with a hot drink like bergamot (which is one of my favorites) or a citrus tea, or even with a red fruits tisane.
Instead, if you prefer to accompany it with an alcoholic drink, I suggest you try the Neapolitan Limoncello or the Cherry Liqueur. In my opinion, these liqueurs are perfect because both are sweet but slightly acidic, so they will emphasize the taste of almonds and chocolate!
In short, the Caprese cake is a truly delicious dessert, easy to prepare, and perfect for gluttons and gluten intolerant. Once tasted, you won’t be able to do without it!
Need Help for Conversions?
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Ok, this looks seriously delicious and easy to make even for me that I’m not an experienced baker. Thanks for the recipe 🙂
The article is very good, I will recommend it to my friends.
Thanks for sharing the post.
This looks amazing! I so appreciate that it is gluten free.
Mmmm, it reminds me of a lunch in Capri, in the square with the bell tower:)
This looks yummy. And I love chocolate!
I love chocolate and love the way you explained it… now I am gonna made it and not sharing with anyone…..LOL 🙂
Wow! This looks so good! I also love the spoon design! How creative.
This looks so good and I love anything with almond so I cannot wait to make this for my party this weekend. Yummy!
This is such a great recipe! Yuuum 🙂 I will definitely try it!
Wow! I can’t wait to try this. I’m a huge fan of tortas like this…but haven’t tried making a chocolate one (usually lemon). Sometimes, you just need a naked chocolate cake to enjoy!
This looks delicious! Getting good quality chocolate is a must! Thanks!
This looks & sounds amazing especially for being gluten-free!! definitely saving this recipe for the future!!!