Home / Recipes / Torta Caprese – Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake

Torta Caprese – Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake

40 min
8-10

Get ready to embark on a delicious culinary adventure with this easy recipe for a Torta Caprese, crafted by Marika Cucuzza. Originating from the enchanting island of Capri, this dessert holds a special place in Italian gastronomy. Unlike a traditional tart, the Torte Caprese is a rich, moist, gluten-free chocolate cake that captivates the senses with every bite. Its secret lies in the harmonious combination of finely ground almonds, bittersweet chocolate, butter, sugar, and a touch of aromatic liqueur.

Marika uses Food Thoughts Dark Chocolate Chips, a real chocolate powerhouse that contains 70% cacao from single-origin beans. The result is a luscious, velvety texture that melts in your mouth, delighting chocolate enthusiasts and those seeking a gluten-free treat alike. Whether enjoyed on its own, or paired with a dollop of whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream, Torte Caprese embodies the essence of Italian indulgence.

This recipe embarks the beginning of our culinary adventure where we explore the use of chocolate across the globe. As chocolate travelled across continents, it seamlessly integrated into local baking traditions, adding depth and decadence to a multitude of treats. These global baking traditions provide a fascinating glimpse into the diverse ways chocolate is transformed by different cultures, captivating our taste buds and connecting us through a shared love for baking with chocolate.

You will need

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C degrees. Grease your pan perfectly.

Melt Food Thoughts Dark Chocolate Chips with butter in a bain-marie. Place over low heat and stir constantly until the mixture is smooth. Alternatively, place in microwave and heat in full power for 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until smooth. Set the chocolate mixture aside.

Separate the yolks from the whites. Whip the egg yolks with 80g sugar and the orange zest for a few minutes, until a frothy and smooth mixtures is obtain.

Add the rum into the yolk mixture and stir gently with a spatula. Add the melted chocolate to the whipped yolk mixture. Use an electric whisk to whip the mixture and make it smooth and velvety. Add the ground almonds into the yolks and mix with a spatula, the mixture will be quite compact and dense.

Whip the egg whites until stiff with the rest of the sugar. Mix the egg whites into the yolks mixture, with a spatula from bottom to top, trying not to disassemble the mixture.

Pour your cake mixture into your pan and level the surface as much as possible. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cooking times may vary from oven to oven, but remember that the Torta Caprese should be moist inside. So after 30 minutes, do the toothpick test: the crust will already have formed and heart should be moist. Remove the cake from the oven and let cool in the pan for at least 40 minutes. This step is essential, if you turn the cake upside down right away, you risk breaking it. After this time, turn the cake upside down and place it on a wire rack and leave to cool completely. Once is cold, decorate the cake with Food Thoughts cocoa powder.

Note: If using a fan oven, preheat it to 160C degrees and add an ovenproof bowl with water along with the cake, keeping the door slightly open with some foil, bake for 5 minutes. After this time, remove the water and continue to bake the cake for 30 minutes. This will help to achieve a moist cake.