Lots of chocolate, nutty, super fudgy, moist, decadent, and no flour (naturally gluten-free!) … May I present: the beautiful Torta Caprese!

Why is the Torta Caprese so good?

The Torta Caprese is a wonderful chocolate cake. It is moist … decadent … deliciously rich … and ultra-fudgy because of the dark chocolate. There is no flour in the tart, making it a naturally gluten-free option. Need I say more?
Especially now during these interesting times where flour is not always available, this recipe is a true winner.
Ground almonds are the secret ingredient that hold the whole cake together and make it slightly crunchy around the edges. This cake is perfect for any rainy Sunday-afternoon chocolate-craving! (or any other day, of course 😊)

The legend about the Torta Caprese

Apparently, the Torta Caprese has quite a history to it. One legend claims that some Austrians wanted to recreate the Sachertorte, whilst another legend says that a local baker from Caprese had to bake a cake for three gangsters for their boss Al Capone. Apparently, the baker was so nervous that he forgot to add the flour to his cake. Well, instead of it being a major flop, it became a huge hit and people wanted him to make the tart again!

Sweet & Simple

… or more like “sinful & simple”. The cake isn’t too sweet but is quite definitely sinful with all that scrumptious chocolate – and it unfortunately won’t taste the same if you leave it out. The classic Torta Caprese is known for the dense, fudgy texture and rich flavour that only the dark chocolate provides.

The cake is very simple to make and can easily be prepared and baked the day before.

How to make the Torta Caprese

• Melt the butter in a saucepan and mix in the chocolate. Let cool.
• In a bowl, cream together egg yolks, vanilla, half of the sugar and salt. In another bowl, beat the egg whites stiff, adding the remaining sugar.
• Pour the chocolate into the egg yolk mixture and add the nuts.
• Carefully fold in the egg whites. Pour the batter into the cake tin that has been buttered and sprinkled lightly with cocoa powder.
• Bake for 40-50 minutes at 170°C convection (or 190°C conventional).

Baking Time

In the recipe I have noted 40 minutes. This is rather on the short side, so you really need to test if the cake is baked through. A toothpick inserted should come out almost clean – the cake IS NOT allowed to be dry, because then you are literally biting into a block of crumbly nuts and chocolate. The joy of this cake is its moistness!
If there are a lot of crumbs still sticking to the toothpick, bake for a further 5 minutes and test again.

Add-ins

This cake is quite versatile, and you can swap the ground almonds for hazelnuts, walnuts or even pistachios. Some recipes suggest adding a little bit of alcohol, such as Strega or Amaretto. However, the cake tastes equally delicious without alcohol.
Instead, maybe you’d like to experiment with swapping nuts, or even using a different kind of chocolate.

The cherry on top

When fully cooled, remove the cake onto a plate or cake platter. If you’ve made the cake in advance, wrap everything (including the plate) in plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
When ready to serve, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top, and place some fruit (I suggest some sour berries, like raspberries, cherries and blueberries) and maybe a small blob of cream in the middle. You could also decorate each plate individually with different fruit, or make a small fruit salad to go with the cake.

Flavoured whipped cream

I flavoured my lightly whipped cream with some instant coffee and a little bit of sugar. I added ½ teaspoon of instant coffee and another ½ teaspoon of white sugar to 100ml of whipping cream. I heated the whipping cream with the coffee and sugar on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, and then let it cool to room temperature. After that, I refrigerated it for 2 hours, and only then I actually whipped it till soft peaks formed. You need to make sure though, that the cream is as chilled as possible, because it is easer to whip cold cream.
You could also infuse the cream with lavender or even some thyme – the thyme cream would also pair nicely with a lovely lemon cake. Recipe coming soon … 😊

And instead of infusing the cream, you can also whip it to soft peaks and sprinkle in some sugar or fold in chocolate sprinkles or a berry reduction. The berry reduction will make for colourful streaks.

If you make my Torta Caprese, please leave me a comment and rate the recipe! 🙂 And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram and Facebook.

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