Italian · Dessert · Medium
Torta Caprese
A rich, naturally gluten free chocolate almond cake from Capri with a crackled top and fudgy center. Intensely chocolatey, meltingly tender, and dangerously easy.
The whole recipe in 60 seconds
Torta Caprese, in 5 ideas
- The slight jiggle in the center is what makes this cake fudgy instead of dry; an overbaked torta caprese loses its magic.
- Almond flour varies in grind, so sift out any large bits for the smoothest, most luxurious texture.
- Beating the yolks until thick and pale adds structure that keeps the dense cake from turning heavy.
- Fold the egg whites gently and patiently; deflated whites make a flat, gummy cake.
- This cake is even better on day two, when the flavors deepen and the texture settles.
What you need
Ingredients
- 7 oz dark chocolate (60 to 70% cacao), chopped
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 4 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 2 cups almond flour
- 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Powdered sugar, for dusting
How to make it
Directions
- Heat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9 inch springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Melt the chocolate and butter together in a heatproof bowl over simmering water, stirring until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly.
- Whisk the egg yolks with 3/4 cup of the sugar until thick and pale, about 2 minutes. Stir in the melted chocolate mixture until fully combined.
- Fold in the almond flour, cocoa powder, and salt just until no dry pockets remain.
- In a clean bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks, gradually adding the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until glossy. Fold a third of the whites into the chocolate batter to lighten it, then gently fold in the rest.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is crackled and set but the center still has a slight jiggle. Cool completely in the pan before dusting with powdered sugar and serving.
Almond flour is cheapest in bulk bags at warehouse stores or ethnic grocery stores, often half the price of the small baking aisle bags.