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HOW TO MAKE

Torta Caprese

Chocolate and almonds torte (Gluten-free)

90 MinuteS to prepare and cook
Beginner Difficulty
Want to learn how to cook this authentic Italian recipe of Torta Caprese? Sign up today for chef Riccardo Alberti’s next class.

Recipe Overview

In 1920, on the island of Capri, a chef named Carmine di Fiore involuntarily "created" the greedy masterpiece of Neapolitan pastry art: la Torta Caprese. It is said that the cook was alone in his small culinary "kingdom", surrounded by tools, ingredients and was busy with extreme care in the preparation of a torte for three criminals of Al Capone's who came to Capri. Everything was going well but perhaps out of distraction, perhaps out of a hurry to finish, he made a mistake that would have cost him dearly his reputation as a renowned chef. He forgot to add the amount of flour needed to complete the torte dough. He baked it without realizing it and at the end of cooking, with great amazement, the cake turned out to be a real delicacy: soft in the center and crunchy outside. The three Americans were 100% satisfied, even asking for the recipe. The chef continued to prepare the cake even later and liked it very much, it was a great success.

 Ingredients

Total Served: 6

First bowl:

1
170 grams (0.75 cup) Butter at room temperature (keep it at least 2 hours out of the fridge before the class starts)
2
85 grams (0.74 cup) Icing sugar
3
85 grams (about 6 eggs) Egg yolks, at room temperature
4
½ Vanilla bean
5
Salt to taste

Second bowl:

1
170 grams (1.29 cup) Dark chocolate for grating
2
170 grams (1.77 cup) Almond flour or Peeled almonds (to be ground into powder)
3
25 grams (3.3 tbsp) Cornstarch
4
14 grams (1.9 tbsp) Bitter cocoa powder
5
4 grams (1 tsp) Baking powder

Third bowl:

1
148 grams (about 6 eggs) Egg whites at room temperature
2
85 grams (0.74 cup) Powdered sugar (Icing sugar)
3
Powdered sugar to decorate
4
Butter for the baking pan

Equipment Needed to Make  Torta Caprese

The following tools will be used to create Torta Caprese. Not all of them are necessary and can be replaced with more manual operations, but we suggest using all of these to make the recipe as easy-to-create and yummy as possible. Click on any of the items to learn more about them and purchase them.
Springform baking pan (Ø 22cm - 24 cm)
Spatula
Electric hand mixers (electric whisk)
Food processor
Mixing bowls
Parchment paper
Grater

Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions for Torta Caprese

Let’s get started with creating Torta Caprese. Follow the instructions in order below to create this tasty fall dish.
Work the egg yolks:
1
Pour the butter, half the sugar and the seeds of the vanilla bean into a bowl.
2
Operate the whisk at medium-high speed for about 5 minutes.
3
Add a pinch of salt and the egg yolks.
4
After a few minutes the mixture will be very frothy so turn off the whips and set aside.
Work the powders:
1
Mix the powders:
2
add the grated chocolate and the powdered almonds.
3
Then sift the potato starch, baking powder and bitter cocoa powder.
4
Mix everything well and set aside.
Whip the egg whites:
1
Pour the egg whites and the remaining powdered sugar.
2
Mix it until it gets shiny and fluffy.
3
Then preheat the oven to 170° C/338° F in fan mode.
Compose the torte:
1
Start mixing the various compounds:
2
add a third of the whipped egg whites to the mixture of egg yolks and butter.
3
Then a third of the powders, and mix well with the spatula, stirring gently from the bottom up.
4
Gradually add a third of the egg whites and a third of the powders, and continue like this until you get a uniform mixture.
Bake the torte:
1
Pour the compound into a buttered pan.
2
Carefully level the surface and bake in a convection oven at 170° C/338° F for about 40 minutes.
3
Once cooked, let the cake cool into the pan.
4
Then turn it upside down and remove the springform pan.
5
After the torte has cool off completely, sprinkle the surface with powdered sugar.
Buon Appetito!
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Tag Chef Riccardo Alberti, @riccardocookingclass

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