Torta Caprese
A flourless chocolate and almond cake from Capri with a crisp top and a dense, fudgy middle. Naturally gluten-free, and it happened by accident when a baker forgot the flour.
Photograph credit: Tortacaprese10quat by Mgdongarra · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Photograph credit: Tortacapresespot by Mgdongarra · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Torta Caprese, Step by Step
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Line and butter a 24 cm springform tin. Heat the oven to 170°C / 340°F.
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Melt the chocolate and butter together over a pan of barely simmering water, then cool for 10 minutes.
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Whisk the egg yolks with 120 g of the sugar for 4 minutes until pale and thick, then stir in the vanilla and rum.
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Fold the cooled chocolate into the yolk mixture, then fold in the ground almonds and salt.
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In a clean bowl, whisk the whites to soft peaks, add the remaining 80 g sugar gradually, and whisk only to soft, glossy peaks that flop at the tip.
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Fold a third of the whites into the chocolate to loosen it, then fold in the rest in two additions with a light hand.
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Scrape into the tin, level gently, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is crisp and cracked and a skewer comes out with moist crumbs.
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Cool completely in the tin — it sinks slightly, which is correct — then dust heavily with icing sugar.
Related guides: Prep, cook and total time · Pan and tin size.
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Notes for Getting It Right
- Underbake rather than overbake. The centre should stay fudgy.
- Grind your own almonds for a coarser, more interesting texture if you have a processor.
- It is better on day two, once the crumb has settled.
What to Serve with Torta Caprese
- A glass of limoncello or a strong espresso
- Serve with lightly whipped cream
- Follows a seafood dinner well
Keeping and Reheating
Keeps 4 days covered at room temperature and freezes 2 months. Do not refrigerate; it goes hard.
Questions About Torta Caprese
How long does Torta Caprese take to make?
20 minutes of preparation and 40 minutes of cooking, so at least 1 hour. The method also needs time for cooling completely, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 10.
Nutrition per Serving
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. The calories include 1 g of alcohol a serving, which is not part of the protein, carbohydrate or fat. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .