TABELIAAUTHENTIC RECIPE
Torta Caprese
Capri’s chocolate cake made without any wheat flour. Dark chocolate and almonds give it a distinctive moistness and dense texture. A gluten-free masterpiece.
AUTHENTICITY SCORE
Authenticity Score
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Ingredients (8 servings)
- Dark chocolate (70%+)Chop beforehand.200 g
- Unsalted butter200 g
- Sugar200 g
- EggsSeparate the yolks and whites.4 pieces
- Almond flour (blanched)200 g
- Rum or LimoncelloLimoncello gives it a character particularly associated with Capri.30 ml
- Salt2 g
- Powdered sugar (for finishing)15 g
Method
Prepare the pan and oven
- 1 Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- 2 Butter a round 22 cm cake pan and line the base with baking paper.
Ready when
Continue when everything is ready.
Melt the chocolate and butter
- 1 Slowly melt 200 g dark chocolate and 200 g butter over a water bath, stirring until uniform.
- 2 Let cool to 40–45°C.
Ready when
Continue once evenly melted and cooled to 40–45°C.
Caution
If too hot, it will cook the eggs in the next step. Always let it cool.
Make the yolk mixture
- 1 Beat 4 egg yolks with 200 g sugar in a bowl until pale.
- 2 Add the chocolate mixture, 200 g almond flour and 30 ml rum and mix well.
Ready when
Continue once evenly combined.
Make the meringue
- 1 Add 2 g salt to 4 egg whites and beat to stiff peaks.
Ready when
Continue when the meringue is firm enough not to fall out if the bowl is inverted.
Caution
Fat left in the bowl prevents the whites from whipping. Use a clean bowl.
Fold in the meringue
- 1 Mix 1/3 of the meringue thoroughly into the chocolate batter.
- 2 Fold in the rest gently with a rubber spatula in 2 additions.
Ready when
Continue when no white streaks remain.
Caution
Excessive folding deflates the meringue and loses its lightness.
Bake the chocolate-almond batter
- 1 Pour the batter into the pan.
- 2 Bake at 180°C for 30–35 minutes.
- 3 Let cool completely in the pan.
Ready when
A skewer inserted into the cake should emerge slightly wet when it is done.
Caution
Overbaking dries it out. Do not bake until the skewer comes out completely clean.
Unmold and dust with sugar
- 1 Remove from the pan and place on a plate.
- 2 Dust with 15 g powdered sugar.
About this dish
Legend has it that this cake originated in the 1920s when a cook on Capri forgot to add the cake flour before baking. An accidental failure entered the history of Italian sweets; whether true or not, it is a sufficient tale to explain the dish’s beginnings.
The absence of wheat flour defines this cake’s character. Chocolate and almonds provide its structure, while egg-white meringue adds lightness. Overbake it and it dries out; underbake it and the center stays raw. Learning to recognize a “slightly wet” skewer takes several attempts.
Torta caprese remains a standard dessert in Capri’s restaurants. Some recipes add the island’s specialty, limoncello, to the batter, developing the cake by incorporating another local product.
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