Torta Caprese – Italian Chocolate Almond Cake

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The Torta Caprese is a very well-known flourless almond and chocolate cake popular in southern Italy, originally from the island of Capri as the name suggests. This cake uses almond flour as its base, which makes it perfect for a low-carb treat, and you can make it when you host your gluten free friends too.
**Ingredients (makes an 8-9 inch cake):**
• 140g (5/8 cup) of Granulated Sugar
• 140gr (5 oz) of Dark Chocolate
• 100gr (1 stick, or ½ cup) of Butter
• 1.5 cups of Almond Flour
• 3 Tablespoons of Cocoa Powder
• 4 Eggs
• 1/2 a Teaspoon of Baking Powder
• Thinly Sliced Almonds
• Powdered Sugar
• Almond extract (optional)
1. In a mixing bowl, soften the butter and incorporate half of the sugar. To soften, you can chop the stick into small pieces and work it with the electric mixer while adding the sugar.
2. Separate the egg whites into another mixing bowl and add the yokes to the butter, mixing them in one at a time.
3. Melt the dark chocolate and add it to the butter and egg mixture. You can use either a microwave in 30 second increments or bain-marie to melt.
4. If you like a stronger almond flavor, go ahead and add a couple of drops of almond extract to the butter and egg mix. This recipe will result in a mild almond taste but the dark chocolate will generally prevail. I like the balance as it is, but some might prefer a stronger almond taste, and if so add the extract, otherwise skip it. I personally don’t use it.
5. Whip the egg whites with the remaining half of the sugar at high speed until they are stiff and shiny.
6. In a third bowl, mix together the almond flour, baking powder, and cocoa powder. I personally like to use vanilla flavored cake baking powder known as “Lievito Vanigliato” from an Italian brand called “Bertolini”. It’s the Italian family go-to yeast for baking cakes and the one my mom has been using as long as I’ve been alive. You can find it sometimes at specialty Italian groceries, if not, regular baking powder works just fine.
7. Add the powdered ingredients to the mixture of eggs and butter. Since this is a delicate cake and the powder can get very clumpy, pass the flour mixture through a sift as you’re adding it to the butter and eggs. This ensures the batter stays smooth and soft. Sift a little bit at a time, mix it in well with a wooden spoon, and repeat until you’ve used up all the flour mixture. Take your time and don’t rush as dumping all of it in will result in a clumpy, grainy cake.
8. Add the egg whites to the batter, making sure to incorporate in circular motions from the bottom to the top.
9. Take an 8-9 inch low cake pan and butter it up. Add the sliced almonds to the bottom then pour in the batter.
10. Bake at 350°F (well, technically it’s 170°C so 338°F if your oven has that kind of resolution, but 350’s close enough for people with shitty apartment ovens like me) for about 40 minutes give or take. Poke it with a wooden skewer and if it comes out dry, then the cake is done.
11. When the cake has cooled, remove it from the cake pan, flip it over (almond side up) and garnish with powdered sugar. I skipped the powdered sugar in the picture as the girlfriend isn’t a fan.
http://italianfoodnobs.com/torta-caprese-chocolate-almond-cake/