Torta Caprese is a delicious flourless cake loaded with chocolate and almonds it is simple to bake and makes you look like a five-star baker. Italian cuisine is very clear cooking, the simple things are often the hardest. For example, a sauce Bolognese or a Carbonara, these very banal but ingenious things, are often badly done. Torta Caprese is a simple great recipe. You can bake Torta Caprese with roasted hazelnuts instead of almonds. A small dash of hazelnut liqueur into the dough and you have the perfect Nutella Torta.
Torta Caprese
The Caprese cake is the typical dessert of Capri. Its origin is somewhat controversial. Tradition has it that its creation happened by chance in a craft workshop on the island in the twenties. It seems that the pastry chef had forgotten to put the flour in an almond cake, ordered by some tourists. A delicacy came out of it, a soft cake in the center and crunchy outside, much appreciated by those tourists and then depopulated and become famous all over the world. In fact, the Caprese cake, very delicate in taste, is extremely simple in its preparation and, not providing the use of flour, also qualifies as “made without gluten”
My preference for chocolate is high-quality dark chocolate.
Over time, I really developed a taste for the richness of dark chocolate. Unsweetened chocolate contains virtually no sugar, which means it can taste incredibly dark and bitter; it is also known as “baking chocolate”. As its name implies, unsweetened chocolate is used primarily in baking recipes adding a rich, smooth foundation to tasty confections like brownies and cakes. For some people, dark chocolate can taste nasty because their palates are used to a very high level of sugar. My preference in chocolate is high-quality dark chocolate with about 60 to 70 % cocoa content that gives me the complex delicious flavor that I’m looking for in chocolate. In this recipe, I use dark chocolate with 60 % cocoa content and a 5 lb bag of Ghirardelli chocolate chips that I keep in my pantry. However, if you need a smaller quantity of chocolate chips they offer as well a 2 x 10-ounce pack
Baking time is crucial
I have experimented with the baking time for a Torta Caprese several times and learned that the baking time is crucial for the perfect Torta. A Torta Caprese should be not too dry. So baking time is crucial, a baking time of around 40 minutes at 350 °F makes the cake perfectly moist. To sample, it is best to pierce the cake with a wooden stick in the middle from 35 – 40 minutes of baking time – if damp crumbs adhere to it, the cake is just right. If liquid dough sticks, extend the baking time by a few minutes.
Knowing your oven
Of all the equipment you use, your oven is the most important. Beware not all thermostats are always accurate. So it is wise to check the oven temp with an oven thermometer. To that preheat your oven to a set temp and move the thermometer from place to place to find out whether or not it is heating evenly. You may discover that your oven has hotter and cooler areas. The best way to bake the cake is on the middle shelves, turning the cake or pastries around so they cook evenly.
The Taste
Using chocolate with 60 % cacao gives the Torta Caprese
a strong chocolate flavor with a good balance of sugar.
It is not too sweet, equally balanced, warm, and complex, a great sweetness balanced with bitterness.
Using chocolate is of poor quality, and the quality of the finished product suffers.
The Process
Loaded with chocolate and almonds the tart is simple to bake and is a crowd pleaser
However, baking time is crucial for the perfect Torta.
A baking time between 35 to 40 minutes at 350 °F makes the cake perfectly moist.
The Verdict
This cake has an amazing texture and chocolaty, fudgy rich flavor.
Loaded with chocolate and almonds the torta is simple to bake
and as a bonus it makes you look like a five-star baker.
Chef’s Tip
Served with vanilla extract-infused whipped cream,
Torta Caprese is the ultimate dessert.
Torta Caprese
Recommended Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter, salted unsalted, softened
- 1 tbsp cocoa powder This can double as a hot chocolate mix or be used in baking recipes.
- 10 oz almond flour
- 10 oz chocolate chips - 60 % cocoa
- 10 oz butter, salted unsalted, softened
- 10 oz sugar granulated
- 6 Eggs separated and left to come to room temperature
- 2 tbsp powdered sugar
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F
- Grease springform with a removable base with butter and dust with cocoa powder.1 tbsp cocoa powder, 2 tbsp butter, salted
Whip egg whites
- Place egg whites and 1/2 of the sugar in a stand mixer and whip the egg whites on high speed to a stiff peak, for about 5 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator6 Eggs
Melt the chocolate
- Place the chocolate, broken up, in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water, and stir with a spatula until completely melted. When melted, remove the bowl from the heat and set aside.10 oz chocolate chips - 60 % cocoa
Whip the butter
- In your stand mixer whip at high speed the softened butter with the remaining sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add 1 egg yolk at a time to the mixer until all is incorporated.10 oz butter, salted
Mix the cake batter
- Fold in the almond flour, then fold in the melted chocolate until combined. Gently fold in the chilled whipped egg whites through the chocolate cake batter.10 oz almond flour
Prepare spring form and bake
- Pour the batter into the greased spring form, using a spatula smooth over the top and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the top appears dry and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (not wet batter).
Cool completely on a wire rack.
- When cool, run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake. Remove the outside ring and dust the top with powdered sugar.
Chef Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate