By Ippolita Douglas Scotti:
Do you want to try a really delicious Italian cake? Today I want to share a slice of Torta Caprese!
This easy cake is made with melted dark chocolate, almond flour, sugar, eggs, and butter, with a soft and tasty consistency—simple and genuine ingredients for a wonderful dessert.
The cake was born on the island of Capri, and it’s one of the treasures of Neapolitan pastry. It is made without flour—one of the first gluten-free cakes that have ever been produced.
The paternity of this cake is attributed to an important chef in the 1920s, Carmine Di Fiore, who created this cake by mistake in his bakery workshop on the island of Capri.
The story goes that the cook was very nervous while he created an almond-flavored cake for some important mafia criminals who were on the island. Turns out . . . he forgot to add the flour.
What was meant to be a disaster, especially for the fate of the poor chef, instead became a great invention. In fact, the three criminals appreciated this cake so much that they wanted the recipe at all costs.
Today the cake is so beloved that it has an almost cult-like following. Here is the original recipe!
Torta Caprese
4.5 oz (125 g) good dark chocolate ( 70% cocoa)
4.5 oz (125 g) unsalted butter
4.5 oz (125 g) white sugar
4.5 oz (125 g) almond flour
3 medium eggs at room temperature
Powdered sugar
Break up the chocolate and place in a metal or glass bowl and melt in a bain marie.
When melted, remove the bowl from the heat and add the butter, stirring with a wooden spoon.
Add the sugar and the almond meal.
Once the mixture is no longer hot, add the egg yolks and stir to combine, using a wooden spoon to stir.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites into soft, fluffy peaks. Fold the whites gently through the chocolate and almond batter, stirring gently.
Pour the batter into a greased cake tin. Smooth over the top and bake until the top appears dry and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.
*It is important not to overcook this cake. You want it to retain its wonderful moist consistency. Let it cool completely in the tin before handling.
Dust with powdered sugar. This cake keeps well for several days and is even better the next day.
Contessa Ippolita Douglas Scotti di Vigileno is a true Italian—born in Florence, Italy, from a long line of eccentric Italian aristocrats, she has traveled the world in search of adventure, romance, and magical, mouth-watering recipes. "Ippo" loves Italian history, especially as it relates to food. Author of There's a Beatle in My Soup, Curcuma e Zenzero (Ginger & Tumeric), 101 Perche Sulla Storia di Firenze (101 questions on Florence History), The Grimore, The Magic of the Moon, and Magic Herbs (all published by Newton Compton Publishers).
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