Torta Caprese (Flourless Chocolate Cake)

This torta caprese recipe is a delicious rich Italian flourless chocolate cake. Made from chocolate, almond flour, sugar, egg yolks and whisked egg whites, it is full of chocolate flavour, without being heavy.

Packed with rich dark chocolate and almond meal (aka ground almonds), this chocolate cake is a famous dessert from the Island of Capri. The history of ‘Torta Caprese’ remains unknown, but most agree that is was due to a mistake, when the flour was left out of a chocolate cake. If that is indeed true, then this cake is one of the most delicious baking mistakes I have ever eaten!

Crispy on the outside, soft, fudgy and moist in the centre, it is a showstopping dessert – or special gluten free chocolate cake.

Although it’s a rich chocolate cake, it is very light, and after eating a slice you aren’t left feeling weighed down by it. Don’t get me wrong, it is rich; you still get a super hit of chocolate, and this is definitely a cake to make for a chocolate lover!

Since it is made with just almond meal and no other flour, this cake is gluten free. The almond meal provides moistness to the cake, and keeps the texture light rather than heavy and dry.

I am a big fan of baking with almond flour, as you may well have seen with my recipes for chocolate chip cookies, almond meringue gateau, and banana bread.

FAQ and Tips:

What can I serve with this flourless Italian chocolate cake?

It is delicious on it’s own, but you could also serve it with a scoop of ice cream, whipped cream, or some berry coulis

How long does this flourless chocolate cake keep?

Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Important tips:

Separating the eggs: don’t get any egg yolk in with the whites, as this will stop them from whisking to stiff peaks. I use 3 bowls when separating eggs: I break the egg and seperate it over one bowl to capture the egg white, then put the yolk into another bowl. I then tip the clean egg white into the whisking bowl and repeat. This way, if I get egg yolk into a white, then I don’t have to start over again and waste alot of eggs.

Do not overcook the cake: it is meant to be a moist cake and you don’t want it to be dry.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin: if you try to turn it out when hot then you risk it breaking, as it is very fragile when warm.

Missing an Egg white: I don’t expect you to miss an egg white out of the recipe, but I happened to one day when I was chasing my toddler to get off the cat, whilst testing this recipe. I put the cake in the oven and was cleaning up, when I discovered one egg white left in a bowl. The cake rose, and still tasted delicious and fudgy; however it didn’t cut as neatly and was slightly more crumbly. But, I wanted to mention this as if you happen to do the same thing – it is not a complete disaster! 😉

Dark chocolate: Try to use the best quality chocolate that you can for this recipe. I use a 70% cocoa chocolate, and a bar rather than chocolate chips.

Almond meal: is also known as ground almonds in the UK

 

If you love baking with almond meal as much as I do, then check out these delicious recipes from some friends of mine:

Easy Gluten Free Blueberry Cake – from It’s Not Complicated Recipes

Pistachio Cardamon and Lemon Loaf Cake – from Eight Forest Lane

Gluten Free Almond and Pear Cake – from A Baking Journey

Raspberry Almond Bars with Crumble Topping – from Marcellina in Cucina

Gluten Free Flourless Lemon Cake – from Sugar Salt Magic