Caprese Cake with Almond and Chocolate – Gluten Free

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Caprese cake is an almond chocolate cake from Naples, which was created by mistake! There is no flour, so it’s perfect for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Creamy and chocolaty, the ground almonds give it a perfect crunchy texture.

Jump to:

• Why there is no mozzarella in the Caprese cake
• What is a Caprese cake
• Whisking egg whites to perfection
• Ingredients
• How to serve the Caprese cake
• Tools to make it easy
• Top tips
• More glutenfree cake
• Recipes you might also like
• 📋Torta Caprese with Almond and Chocolate – Gluten Free

Why there is no mozzarella in the Caprese cake

The name Caprese, has been miss-used by many and I have seen many salads called Caprese just because Mozzarella is one of the ingredients. It is like calling “something Parmesan” anything that has cheese and tomatoes. It drives us Italian nuts!!

Mozarella has nothing to do with Caprese. Caprese means originated from the Isle of Capri and that is where this cake was created, …..by mistake.

What is a Caprese cake

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.

As there is no flour, 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 and 5 eggs.

This recipe was presented by Eliana de Matteis during her cooking class at the Mediathec Pole Culturel Auguste Escoffier, Villeneuve Loubet.

Whisking egg whites to perfection

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

• The eggs have to be at room temperature. I always keep my eggs out of the fridge. I know it is safe to do so here in Europe as that is how you find them in the supermarkets. However in the USA 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.
• When you separate the eggs, make sure there are no traces of yolk 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.

• Whisk with an electric whisker. 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.
• Once the whites reach a stiff peak, cook them immediately as they will slowly deflate and go back to their liquid state.
• If you have to mix them with another ingredient or batter, you need to fold them gradually with a hand whisk. If the batter is added too quickly and mixed too fast, the egg white will deflate.

Ingredients

• 10 1/2 oz – 300 gr peeled almonds
• 8 oz – 220 gr caster sugar
• 7 oz – 200 gr butter
• 7 oz – 200 gr dark chocolate
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 5 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 pinch salt

Preparing the ingredients for the cake

1. Melt the chocolate with the butter in a large bowl over boiling water (Bain-Marie) or in the microwave for 2 minutes on medium
2. Let it cool down at 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 puffy and foamy. This should take about 15 minutes
7. Add the melted chocolate to the egg mixture
8. Fold in the almonds slowly, making sure the mixture does not deflate

13. Cut parchment paper into a round shape, placing it at the bottom of an 8 -9 in / 22-24 cm diameter baking tin and add 2 long strips along the sides
14. Pour the mixture into the lined baking tin
15. Cook in a hot oven at 170 C for about 45 minutes checking with a toothpick that the inside remains slightly humid
16. Once ready, turn off the oven and leave the cake in the oven for 10 minutes, with the door slightly open.
17. Let it cool down for another 15 minutes at room temperature before removing it from the pan.

18. Once completely cold, the cake can be decorated with icing sugar or cocoa
19. You can use a template to add a message to your cake by sprinkling cocoa powder

How to serve the Caprese cake

As with most chocolate cakes, the Caprese cake is perfect served with a good quality vanilla ice cream. 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 favourite at the end of the meal is to serve it with a homemade liquor. Orange, Limoncello or Nocino, as they are all perfect with chocolate.

Tools to make it easy

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 egg white is too long to do by hand and hard if you are not used to it.

Top tips

• Use the best dark chocolate you can find
• It is best to buy fresh almonds. To peel them put them for 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
• When cooking the cake, check with a toothpick that the inside remains slightly humid

More glutenfree cake

f you are looking for more gluten-free cakes, you should also try the Scandinavian Almond Cake With Custard Cream.

Recipes you might also like

If you are looking for more Italian desserts, you can check the category: Italian Desserts

Also, check the recipes below:

• Traditional Struffoli Recipe With Cognac
• Pastiera Ricotta Pie
• Peach Tarte Tatin with Calvados and Pistachios
• Lime sorbet
• Torrone Italian Nougat Recipe
• Ile Flottante Recipe
• Mini Meringues Recipe
• Pavlova Recipe with Chestnut Mousse

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