RECIPE / ONE REALIZATION

Torta Caprese

This is the classic recipe for torta Caprese made with ground almonds, eggs, sugar, butter, and chocolate.

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Servings: 6
Preparation: 15 min
Cooking: 1 hr
Total: 7 hr 15 min

RECIPE INGREDIENTS

5 eggs
200g (7 oz) powdered sugar
250g (9 oz) butter, melted
300g (11 oz) peeled and chopped almonds
250g (9 oz) dark chocolate, melted
15g (0.5 oz) powdered sugar, for decoration

METHOD

01
Put a tall, narrow container in the freezer for 10 minutes.
02
In the meantime, whisk the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl until they are puffy and fluffy, then add the melted butter.
03
Grind the almonds to flour and add them to the egg yolks. Blend thoroughly and mix in the melted chocolate. Whisk again and let it rest for 5 minutes.
04
Remove the container from the freezer. Add the egg whites to the container, and beat until stiff, then fold them into the mixture with egg yolks a little at a time.
05
Grease and flour a round pan, then pour the mixture into it and bake in the oven preheated to 160°C (320°F) for about an hour. To check the doneness, perform the toothpick test when the surface gets shiny — if it comes out wet, continue baking for a few more minutes; if it’s dry, take the pan out of the oven.
06
Once the cake has cooled completely, sprinkle it with powdered sugar.

OTHER REALIZATIONS

1 other variations

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Italian Academy of Cuisine's Torta Caprese with Yeast

1 hr

According to the Italian Academy of Cuisine , this recipe is used in Campania, a region in southern Italy.

USEFUL NOTES

What to pay attention to

ALMOND FLOUR

Using store-bought almond flour will speed up the preparation process. Still, doing everything from scratch, including finely chopping the almonds or grinding them, is the way to go. Recipes differ — some call for almond flour, others for finely chopped almonds, and some for a mixture of the two. Also, other kinds of nuts can be used instead of almonds, whether hazelnuts, walnuts, or pistachios.

HOW TO PEEL ALMONDS

If you’re not pressed for time, place the almonds in a bowl of cold water, taking care they are completely covered, and let them soak overnight. The following day, drain the almonds and rub them between your fingers to take the skin off. However, if you’re pressed for time, place the almonds in boiling water and cook for no more than a minute, then drain and place under running water to cool down. After that, it should be fairly easy to peel the almonds by just rubbing them between your fingers.

EGGS

The eggs must be room temperature. The mixture of egg yolks and sugar must be frothy, so an electric whisk can be used to reach that consistency faster. Also, because this recipe doesn’t include yeast, it’s important to whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. They must be carefully folded in with a spatula to properly blend with the rest of the mixture without losing volume.

BAKING

Always bake in a preheated oven. If, during baking, the cake starts to burn too quickly, it means you must lower the temperature a little and loosely cover the cake with baking paper.

TOOTHPICK TEST

To check the doneness, you can do a toothpick test. Poke the center of the cake with a toothpick, and if it comes out wet, it means that it needs more time to bake. When baked to perfection, the toothpick will come out slightly moist and not perfectly dry — the goal is to end up with a cake that has a crunchy crust but a moist and soft center.

COOLING THE CAKE

Do not take out the cake from the mold immediately after baking because the chances of it breaking will be very high. Let it rest in the pan, as is, for at least 30 minutes. After that, transfer to a cooling rack, flipping it upside down. Let it completely cool down for at least 6 hours or overnight.

DECORATION

Any decoration on the cake should be done after it has completely cooled down. If the surface is still warm, any icing or powdered sugar on top will get absorbed, and the effect of the decoration will be lost. The traditional recipe calls only for a sprinkling of powdered sugar, which is often sprinkled over a stencil, leaving a pretty pattern on the cake’s surface after it’s removed.

STORAGE

Storing in the fridge is not recommended. It’s best to keep the cake on a stand with a glass lid where it can last for up to 5 days.

VARIATIONS

While the classic recipe revolves around ground almonds and dark chocolate, some variations substitute them with ground pistachios and white chocolate. Other recipes include the zest and juice of a lemon or an orange, accompanied by the pungent aroma of limoncello or sweet liquor. The exclusion of granulated sugar is not uncommon. In such cases, icing sugar is used instead. Some variations even use a teaspoon of yeast to make the cake taller.