To conclude the excellent dinner in Naples during my trip in September 2020, at Pizzaioli Veraci Toledo, I also treated myself to the dessert…the Caprese cake, one of the most famous Neapolitan cakes in the world.
Naturally gluten-free (and without yeast, the dough consists mainly of almonds and dark chocolate), as per the original recipe, but in my case, also lactose-free.
Its creation happened in 1920 and, as often is the case with the best recipes, it was the result of a mistake.
The Capri pastry chef Carmine di Fiore, intent on preparing his almond dessert to serve to three mobsters who came to Capri to buy a batch of Al Capone’s spats, forgot to add the flour, but in the end, the cake turned out great.
According to another legend, the king of Naples married an Austrian princess who wanted the “Sacher Torte”. Thus, the cooks of the royal palace, trying to recreate the cake dear to the princess, invented the Caprese.
The recipe is more or less known to everyone; if you want a “lacto free” version, just as I tasted it (see photo), just replace the butter with clarified butter or lactose-free butter.
In the video, you will find a white variant, with white milk chocolate and genepi syrup glaze.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6 servings
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 10.6 oz peeled almonds
- 8.8 oz 70% dark chocolate
- 7 oz butter
- 5 eggs
- 7 oz sugar
- to taste powdered sugar
Tools
- 1 Baking pan 8.66 inches
Preparation
Line a baking pan with parchment paper and toast the almonds in a static oven at 392°F for 10 minutes. Once cooled, transfer them to a mixer and coarsely chop them.
Chop the dark chocolate with a knife.
Cut the butter into pieces and transfer it to a saucepan over heat; add the chopped chocolate and melt in a double boiler for a few minutes on low flame.
In a bowl, crack the eggs, separating the yolks from the whites.
Beat the yolks with the sugar for about ten minutes until they triple in volume to obtain a frothy mixture.
Add the almonds to the melted chocolate and then add everything to the yolk and sugar mixture, mixing with a spatula.
Beat the egg whites until stiff with an electric whisk. Incorporate them into the egg and chocolate mixture, mixing gently with a spatula, with an upward motion, to not deflate the egg whites.
Butter and flour a 7.87-inch diameter cake pan. Pour the mixture into the cake pan and level with a spatula.
Bake in a static oven at 356°F for 35 minutes. Check the center of the cake with a toothpick after about 30 minutes because if it comes out just slightly damp, it means it’s done. The Caprese, in fact, should not be overcooked, or it will dry out.
Once the Caprese cake is out of the oven, let it cool before dusting with powdered sugar.
N.B. Tradition has it that a crochet table centerpiece be placed over the cake before dusting it with powdered sugar, so it appears as a kind of embroidery.
An excellent recipe also for the Valentine’s Day Menu.
Here’s the version made live with ViaggiandoMangiando On air, a cake for Valentine’s Day
For Valentine’s Day, what about a literary gift?
What is the recipe for white Caprese cake?
White Almond Caprese Cake with Genepi Glaze
Ingredients for 4 people, 8-inch cake pan
7 oz finely ground peeled almonds (almond flour)
5.3 oz sugar
4 large eggs
5.3 oz white chocolate
3.5 oz butter
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
1.8 oz powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Genepi syrup
a few drops of lemon juice
Preparation:
Melt butter and white chocolate in a double boiler, stir, and let cool.
Beat the eggs with sugar until you get a light and frothy mixture.
Add the almond flour, lemon zest, vanilla extract, and mix well.
Add the melted chocolate and butter, gently combine.
Pour into a buttered and floured cake pan, bake at 338°F for about 35-40 minutes (do the toothpick test).
Prepare the glaze by mixing powdered sugar, Genepi syrup, and lemon. When the cake is cool, pour the glaze over.
