Caprese cake (torta Caprese)

There are several tales about the invention of this recipe, which became a popular dessert around 1920–1930 in Capri, Italy. Perhaps the first person to bake this cake was chef Carmine di Fiore, or the kitchen hand named Capocchiella, or maybe it was two Austrian sisters living on the island of Capri. No-one really knows for sure. But all tales have something in common: The cake was created by mistake, since flour was forgotten or probably replaced by cocoa powder. The result was a very low cake with an unmistakable flavour.

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• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  50 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 350 g almonds
• 300 g sugar
• 260 g butter (plus extra, to grease)
• 200 g dark chocolate (60%)
• 120 ml Strega Liqueur
• 7 eggs, separated

Drink to match Limoncello liqueur

Instructions

Scald almonds in boiling water for about two minutes and, after peeling, grind them to make almond flour.

Prepare the bain-marie to melt the chocolate, broken in small pieces.

Preheat oven to 150°C degrees.

In a bowl, mix butter and sugar until creamy, add the egg yolks and almond flour. When chocolate is melted, add chocolate and liqueur to the butter mixture.

Beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and gently fold into the cake mix.

Line the base of cake tin with baking paper and grease the borders with butter. Pour the mixture in the cake tin and bake for 50 minutes.

Remove from over and allow to cool in the tin. Place on a serving plate and dust with icing sugar to serve.

This recipe is best served after one or two days.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.