Torta Caprese (Flourless Chocolate and Almond Cake)
Inspired by techniques from America's Test Kitchen.
A flourless cake from Capri made with dark chocolate, butter and ground almonds, lightened with whisked egg whites. It bakes to a thin crisp top over a moist, fudgy crumb and needs only a dusting of icing sugar.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Melt the chocolate. Put a shelf in the middle of the oven and heat to 160 °C (140 °C fan). Lightly oil a 23 cm springform tin. Microwave the butter and chocolate in a medium bowl on 50% power for 1½-2 min, stirring often, until melted. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.
- 2
Whisk the whites. Whisk the egg whites in a stand mixer on medium-low for about 1 min, until foamy. Turn up to medium-high and slowly add half the sugar (99 g), whisking for about 4 min more, until glossy, thick and holding stiff peaks. Transfer to a large bowl.
- 3
Make the base. Put the yolks and the remaining sugar in the empty mixer bowl and whisk on medium-high for about 3 min, until thick and pale, scraping down as needed. Mix in the chocolate on medium for about 15 sec, then add the ground almonds, cocoa and salt and mix for about 30 sec.
- 4
Fold. Stir a few times with a spatula, scraping the bottom. Add a third of the whites and mix on medium for about 30 sec, until no white streaks remain. Tip this into the bowl with the remaining whites and fold gently until no streaks remain. Pour into the tin, smooth the top and set the tin on a rimmed baking tray.
- 5
Bake. Bake for about 50 min, turning halfway, until a cocktail stick pushed into the centre comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool in the tin on a wire rack for 20 min, then remove the side and cool completely, about 2 hours.
- 6
Serve. Dust with icing sugar, if using, slide onto a plate with a palette knife and cut into wedges.
Storage
Wrap well and keep at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Free sugars
22.4 g per serving
44.8 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 89.6 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- 23 cm springform tin
- medium microwave-safe bowl
- stand mixer with whisk attachment
- large bowl
- large spatula
- rimmed baking tray
- wire rack
- cocktail stick
- palette knife
- fine sieve
Nutrition per serving Calculated from USDA FoodData Central
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 375 kcal |
| Protein | 6.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 28.3 g |
| of which sugars | 23.2 g |
| of which free sugars | 22.4 g |
| Fat | 27.4 g |
| of which saturates | 11.5 g |
| Fibre | 3 g |
| Salt | 0.32 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.8 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
