Easy Torta Caprese (Italian Flourless Chocolate Cake)

Torta Caprese is an almond chocolate cake from the island of Capri, created by mistake! It is a flourless chocolate cake, perfect for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. This traditional recipe doesn't separate egg yolks from the whites, making the procedure much easier and mess-free. You still get a creamy and chocolaty cake, while the ground almonds give this flourless cake a perfect crunchy texture. A delight for all chocolate lovers.

Jump to:

• History of the Torta Caprese
• Ingredients
• Instructions
• How to serve it
• Equipment
• More glutenfree cake
• FAQ
• More Italian desserts recipes
• 📋Easy Torta Caprese (Italian Flourless Chocolate Cake)

History of the Torta Caprese

This is the easy version recipe for the traditional Italian Torta Caprese.

In 1920 Chef Carmine Di Fiore made a chocolate almond cake but forgot to add flour.

Nevertheless, the cake was a pleasant surprise, creamy inside but with a crunchy crust.

This is the Torta Caprese recipe that was invented.

As it is a flourless chocolate torte, it is gluten-free. A delicacy for all celiac sufferers.

But don't expect this to be a low-fat diet cake, as there is plenty of butter, five eggs, and a rich chocolate flavor.

Ingredients

• 10 ½ oz - 300 gr peeled whole almonds: you can also use almond flour, but I like to keep the almonds with some texture, so I grate them myself
• 8 oz - 220 gr granulated sugar
• 7 oz - 200 gr butter
• 7 oz - 200 gr dark chocolate: good quality chocolate, is an essential ingredient
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 5 large eggs: many Caprese cake recipes separate the egg yolks from the white, but if you are in a rush, it is not necessary
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

Instructions

Preparing the ingredients

1. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a large heatproof bowl over boiling water (Bain-Marie) or in the microwave for 2 minutes on medium
2. Let the melted chocolate cool down to room temperature

3. Slightly toast the almonds in the oven and let them cool down at room temperature
4. Pulse the almonds with the cocoa in a blender until they are roughly grated
5. If you are using ground almonds, just mix them with the cocoa powder

Making the batter

6. Whisk the eggs with the sugar, the vanilla extract, and a pinch of salt until you have stiff peaks. This should take about 15 minutes
7. Add the cooled chocolate mixture to the egg and sugar in a large mixing bowl
8. Fold in the almonds slowly, making sure the mixture does not deflate

Baking the cake

9. Cut parchment paper into a round shape, placing it at the bottom of a 9 in / 24 cm diameter cake tin, and add two long strips along the sides of the pan
10. Pour the cake batter into the lined baking tin and spread evening with a rubber spatula
11. Cook in a hot oven at 340 F - 170 C for about 45 minutes, checking with a toothpick that the inside remains slightly humid
12. Once ready, turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven for 10 minutes with the door open.
13. Let it cool down for another 15 minutes at room temperature before removing it from the pan.

14. Once completely cold, the cake can be decorated with confectioners' sugar or cocoa
15. You can lay a paper template on top of the cake to add a message by sprinkling cocoa powder

How to serve it

This Caprese cake is perfectly served with homemade vanilla gelato or whipped heavy cream, as with most chocolate cakes.

My son Francesco warmed it up in the microwave for 10 seconds, and I must say it was delicious.

To accompany, you can serve coffee or tea, but my favorite at the end of the meal is to serve it with homemade liquor.

Orange, Limoncello or Nocino, they are all perfect with chocolate.

Equipment

There are 2 tools I highly recommend to make this cake:

• Electric mixer: I use KitchenAid, but you can use any simple electric mixer. Whipping eggs is too long to do by hand and hard if you are not used to it.
• Pan with removable bottom: A pan with removable bottom makes it much easier to remove the cake from the pan and place it on a serving dish. I always cover the bottom with parchment paper to make it even easier.

Important Note: Before removing a cake from the baking pan, wait at least 10 minutes otherwise, it will be too warm, and you risk breaking it. Although I never wait more than 10 minutes otherwise, the steam will make the sides soggy.

Top tips

• Use the best dark chocolate you can find
• It is best to buy fresh almonds. To peel them, put them in for a few seconds in boiling water. Take them out, and the skin will peel very easily
• You can replace the almonds with walnuts
• If you prefer, when you grind the almonds, leave them roughly grated so the texture of the cake will be nice and crunchy
• Before you add the chocolate and the almonds to the egg mixture, make sure they are at room temperature, otherwise, the hot chocolate will cook the eggs
• When cooking the cake, check with a toothpick that the inside remains slightly humid

Whisking eggs to perfection

Every time you need to whisk eggs to a stiff peak, there are some important rules to follow always to secure a successful result:

• The eggs have to be at room temperature. I always keep my eggs out of the fridge as I have my own chickens. I know it is safe to do so here in Europe as that is how you find them in the supermarkets. However, in the US supermarkets, eggs are stored in the fridge (there is a different treatment), so I wouldn't recommend doing so if you are in the USA. Remember to take the eggs out of the fridge a few hours ahead.
• If you have to separate the eggs, ensure no traces of yolk are left in the whites. I always separate eggs one at a time in a separate bowl using an egg separator. If an egg yolk breaks, I use that egg for another recipe and separate another one.

Note: in this recipe, we whisk the eggs without separating them.

• Whisk with a food processor with a whisk attachment. If you are not used to whisking by hand for a long time and with consistent speed, it is best to use an electric whisker at medium-high speed.
• Once the eggs reach a stiff peak, cook them immediately as they slowly deflate and return to their liquid state.
• If you must mix them with another ingredient or batter, you must fold them gradually with a hand whisk. The egg will deflate if the batter is added too quickly and mixed too fast

More glutenfree cake

If you want more gluten-free cakes, try the Scandinavian Almond Cake With Custard Cream.

FAQ

More Italian desserts recipes

For more traditional Italian recipes:

• Italian Gelato recipe (vanilla, chocolate and pistachio)
• Traditional Struffoli Recipe With Cognac
• Zeppole di Carnevale
• Pastiera Ricotta
• Lime sorbet
• Mont blanc dessert
• Torrone Italian Nougat Recipe
• Mini Meringues Recipe
• Pavlova Recipe with Chestnut Mousse

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