Steps to prepare the original caprese cake

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• Let’s start by putting the dark chocolate pieces in a saucepan with the butter also cut into pieces. Melt in a double boiler. To make a double boiler, use a larger pot filled halfway with water, place the other saucepan inside, ideally it should not touch the bottom of the pot. Bring to the heat without letting the water boil, and melt chocolate and butter. When it becomes a smooth cream, turn off the heat and pour the contents into a large bowl. It’s important to use quality chocolate and butter, you will taste the difference in the final dessert. I used extra crispy dark chocolate I received as a gift, really delicious, even to eat when you want a little sweetness.

• Add the almond flour to the chocolate with the butter, if you don’t have almond flour, just finely chop the almonds, and if you can add a couple of bitter almonds, they will give a wonderful aroma, I used almond flour that I received as a gift, and I must admit it’s really excellent, it made a delicious cake, and you can really smell the almond aroma, without having to add other flavors. Mix the flour with chocolate and butter and set aside.

• Separate the egg yolks from the whites, and first whip the whites with clean electric whisks to stiff peaks, then whip the yolks with the sugar, add the liqueur, and whip. If you prefer to simplify, you can also whip everything together, trust me, the cake will be just as good.

• With a spatula, incorporate the yolks with the sugar into the chocolate, butter, and almond flour mixture.

• Add to the mix some grated organic orange zest, and a couple of teaspoons of cocoa, to make our cake even more delicious, although the chocolate already gives it an intense taste. Mix with the spatula, with gentle movements from bottom to top. If you want, you can also add a bit of vanilla, either the seeds or gel extract, but it’s delicious even without.

• All that’s left to add are the whipped egg whites, a little at a time, always with gentle movements from bottom to top.

• Ready for baking our caprese cake. For baking, a pie mold is ideal, the thin aluminum type with flared edges, so the cake cooks evenly, leaving the edges slightly more compact, making it easier to cut considering it’s soft and creamy, better than a truffle dessert. The 22 or 24 cm mold should be greased and floured. Use gluten-free flour if you want to make a gluten-free cake, you can use potato starch, cornstarch, or even cocoa instead.

• Pour all the mixture into the mold, and bake in a preheated oven at 356°F (180°C) for about 30 minutes or a little more, I left it in the oven for 35 minutes because it seemed too soft in the middle, I took it out while it was still a bit soft, but it’s okay like that, it remains beautifully creamy, truffle-like as we like it, but the times may vary depending on the type of oven so always keep an eye on your cakes and adjust according to your tastes, if you want it drier lower the oven to 338°F (170°C) and bake for 40-45 minutes.

• Leave the caprese cake ready in the turned-off oven for a few minutes, then leave it for another 5 minutes in the pan outside the oven, then flip it onto a tray, and leave it for a few more minutes, it will detach from the mold by itself and then we can also remove it, let it cool completely, and do not handle it otherwise it will break because it is very delicate.

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• Once cold, sprinkle with powdered sugar, if you want you can use a doily for cake decorations, or a doily you have at home to place on the cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar to give a delightful design, I removed all the doilies so I just sprinkled it with powdered sugar.

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• The cake keeps outside the fridge, it’s a pantry dessert, perfect to keep under a glass dome, it stays creamy and melt-in-the-mouth as freshly made until the last slice.

• The cake can be served alone, creamy and melt-in-the-mouth, perfect to accompany a coffee or tea, but also delicious with a scoop of vanilla or cream ice cream.