The tenerina cake is a delicious chocolate dessert, without yeast and with little flour, moist inside and with a crunchy crust on the outside. A chocolate cake originally from the city of Ferrara made with just five ingredients and has a unique moist and soft texture inside that melts in your mouth and crunchy on the outside. These characteristics make it an unmissable dessert for those who love chocolate and desserts that are not too elaborate but with a unique taste!
The preparation is very simple: we melt the chocolate in a double boiler with the microwave and add the butter. Stir well until the butter is completely melted. Whip the yolks with half of the sugar until they are fluffy and add the warm butter and chocolate. Separately, whip the egg whites until stiff with the remaining sugar to obtain a firm meringue. Add the whipped egg whites to the yolks in several additions, folding from bottom to top to avoid deflating the mixture. Also add the sifted flour and continue mixing gently from bottom to top. Pour the obtained mixture into a greased and floured pan and bake for 30-35 minutes at 356°F (180°C). Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely before decorating it with powdered sugar.
A low but at the same time rich and delicious cake that is perfect for many occasions: from breakfast with a nice cup of hot milk, to snack and five o’clock tea, up to the dessert at the end of the meal where it will give its best accompanied with a scoop of cream or vanilla ice cream. All you have to do is try the tenerina cake, we are sure it will become one of your favorite comfort cakes!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Double boiler, Oven
- Cuisine: Regional Italian
- Region: Emilia-Romagna
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to prepare the Torta tenerina
- 7 oz dark chocolate
- 4 eggs
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 7 tbsp butter (at room temperature)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- powdered sugar
- red currants (optional)
Tools to prepare the Torta tenerina
- 2 Small pots
- Electric mixers
- 1 Spatula
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Springform pan
- 1 Oven
Steps to prepare the Torta tenerina
Start preparing the tenerina cake by melting the chocolate in a double boiler.
When the temperature of the dark chocolate reaches about 122°F, it will start to melt. Add the soft butter in pieces and stir so that it melts and blends perfectly with the chocolate. Let it cool.
Meanwhile, separate the egg whites from the yolks.
Whip the egg whites until stiff, and when they begin to turn white, gradually add half the sugar, 75 g (about 1/3 cup). In the end, you should obtain a fairly firm meringue.Separately, whip the yolks with the remaining sugar for at least 15 minutes or until they become fluffy and creamy.
Add the melted chocolate and warm butter, stirring carefully so that the chocolate is fully incorporated into the yolks.
Now add the meringue to the yolk and chocolate mixture, stirring slowly from the bottom to the top, trying not to deflate it, but keeping it fluffy.
Sift the flour and add it to the mixture, continuing to fold gently from the bottom to the top, avoiding deflating the batter.
Pour the mixture into a greased and floured pan or lined with parchment paper and bake at 356°F (180°C) for about 30-35 minutes or until the toothpick test reveals the cake is completely dry.
Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool completely before removing it from the pan.
Decorate it with powdered sugar and some currants if desired, and serve it in slices with a scoop of ice cream if you like.
Simo and Cicci recommend
You can store the tenerina cake at room temperature for 4-5 days.
For a completely lactose-free version, you can use lactose-free dark chocolate.
FAQ
What type of chocolate is best to use for this type of cake?
Preferably use dark chocolate starting from 65% upwards. For example, we used 90% chocolate.
Is it possible to make a gluten-free version of the tenerina cake?
Yes, you can replace the all-purpose flour with cornstarch, rice flour, or almond flour.
Is the crust that develops on the cake’s surface normal?
Yes, it is perfectly normal, and it is one of the characteristics of this cake, which tends to be very moist and soft inside with these crunchy cracks on the outside.