Torta Caprese GF (a flourless chocolate cake)

If you’ve traveled to Capri or the Amalfi Coast, chances are you may have at one time or another enjoyed a slice (or two!) of a Torta Caprese (“uno dei pasticci più fortunati della storia“). With as little as 5 ingredients, you can bring a slice of Italy home to you and enjoy this gluten-free/flourless decadent chocolate cake!

I‘m in culinary research and discovery mode these last weeks. Also, if events go as planned, I have a very large project and goal to accomplish next year as I embark on an exciting self-enriching journey. By this time next year I hope to be wrapping it up and starting a fresh and newer chapter in my life! More on that in a later post at the end of this year…

Torta Caprese is a traditional Italian chocolate cake using either almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts. This gluten-free decadence originates from the island of Capri, the Campania region of Italy. Legend has it that the Pastry Chef, Carmine Di Fiore, inadvertently forgot to add the flour to the cake batter! The result was a moist, softly textured chocolate cake (that’s gloriously gluten-free!) – also referred to as “uno dei pasticci più fortunati della storia” (one of history’s most fortunate mistakes). Such a delicious mistake!

The chocolate cake has a thin, eggshell-like top crust under a moist cake crumb. It’s decadent! Mine came out a bit more textured than probably I would have ideally liked, for lack of grounding both the chocolate and almond flour more fine. The technique/method I used for this cake does not melt the chocolate first, which is evident in the finished texture. Regardless, I’m happy with the results and may try an alternate method/recipe by melting the chocolate into the batter. Since there is no flour, it is not a high-formed or domed cake. It would be lovely baked in smaller pans too, due to its rather dense and little to no height.

Here I’ve served it with homemade whipped cream, adding a splash of almond extract (a touch of Amaretto would do too!), a dusting of cocoa powder, garnished with orange zest and then topped with slices of kumquats. Another tasty finish would be to drizzle some sugared kumquats and its syrup over the homemade almond whipped cream.

I’m including my almond-whipped cream, which comes together quickly with just heavy cream, confectioner’s sugar and almond extract, plus the ingredients used for the cake. Recipe can be found at the lovely blog of Deborah Mele, Italian Food Forever.