Torta Caprese (Flourless Chocolate Almond Cake)

If you’re in need of a flourless chocolate cake, look no further than Torta Caprese!

Made with melted dark chocolate and ground almonds, my Torta Caprese is incredibly rich, decadent and guaranteed to satisfy all of the chocolate lovers in your life!

What is Torta Caprese?

While the origins of the Torta Caprese are disputed, my favorite version goes something like this: It’s the 1920s and three mobsters working for Al Capone visit the island of Capri. They stop by a well-known bakery for something sweet (as mobsters often do) and the chef, perhaps a bit distracted by his unexpected guests, forgets to add flour to his cake. Luckily, the men love the cake so much that they request the recipe! And thus the Torta Caprese is born.

Although I’m not fully sold on this unique origin story, the gluten-free chocolate cake has definitely won me over. With its thin crispy crust and incredibly soft and fudgy inside, this Torta Caprese is impossible to resist!

Key ingredients

• Almond Meal: For this recipe, you’ll want unblanched almond meal. It has a slightly coarser texture and a nuttier flavor compared to blanched almond meal.
• Dark chocolate: I like 60-70% dark chocolate for this recipe but something a little sweeter or even a bit darker would work as well. Just make sure to use a higher quality chocolate since it is the main ingredient in the cake.
• Unsalted butter: Cut the butter into small cubes to help it mix well with the dark chocolate.
• Eggs: Separate the egg yolks and whites. The egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks to add volume and lightness to the Torta Caprese.
• Granulated sugar: The sugar sweetens the cake and offsets the bitterness of the dark chocolate.

Step by step instructions

1. Finely chop the dark chocolate and melt it with the unsalted butter. Stir in almond meal and salt.
2. Mix egg yolks into the chocolate mixture.
3. Whip egg whites with sugar until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture until fully combined.
4. Pour the batter into a greased round cake tin and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 35-40 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out mostly clean.

Storage

You can store your Torta Caprese in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

For the best texture, let the cake come to room temperature before serving.

Expert tips and tricks

• Removing the cake from the pan: If you’re worried about the cake coming out clean, you can add a layer of parchment paper to the bottom of the pan before pouring in the batter. But generally greasing the pan well is enough for the cake to easily come out.
• Sprinkling with powdered sugar: If you want, go ahead and eat your Torta Caprese warm and straight from the pan. We won’t judge. But if you’d like a little extra embellishment, I recommend waiting at least 30 minutes and then turning it upside down onto a serving platter and adding a sprinkling of powdered sugar.
• Add some embellishment: For extra flair, you can sift the powdered sugar over stencils to create patterns on top of the cake.

More chocolate recipes

• Red Velvet Brownies
• Chocolate Amaretto Truffles
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
• Chocolate Namelaka
• Roses des Sables