Chocolate Caprese Cake, named in homage to the island of Capri, although there are two different stories about the cake’s origin. King Ferdinand IV of Naples married Caroline of Austria, the Austrian princess, who often requested a Sacher cake from her bakers but unfortunately never remembered the ingredients. We are in 18th-century Naples and the bakers did their best, experimenting with a chocolate-and-almond cake they called Caprese. Another story tells that in Capri a pastry chef, Carmine Di Fiore, was commissioned (by three mobsters who arrived on the island) to make an almond-and-chocolate cake. The pastry chef was so frightened that, to his surprise at the end of baking, he realized he had not added flour; he was even more surprised when the cake was a huge success. We are in Naples in 1920 and the three mobsters returned to America with the Caprese recipe, achieving enormous success.
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian Regional
- Region: Campania
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cups almonds
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1 1/3 cups powdered sugar
- 7 oz 70% dark chocolate
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 6 tbsp potato starch
- 6 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 4 tsp rum
Tools
- Cake Pan
- Electric Whisk
- Chopper
- Rubber spatula
- Bowl
- Parchment paper
- Edible food marker
- Cutting board
- Knife
Steps
To prepare the chocolate Caprese, take the butter out of the refrigerator at least 6 hours in advance to let it soften.
Separate the egg whites from the yolks and put them in two separate bowls.
Using a cutting board and a sharp knife, chop the dark chocolate into flakes. I prefer this instead of melting it because it feels lighter in the final texture.
With the help of the food processor, grind the almonds into a flour—not too fine and leaving the skins on. I prefer a more rustic texture.
In a large bowl mix the unsweetened cocoa with the baking powder, the almond flour with the chocolate flakes, half of the powdered sugar and the potato starch.
I creamed the butter with the remaining sugar and a little rum. I added the yolks one at a time and, slowly, the dry ingredients mixed together.
Finally, with a spatula, I folded in the egg whites whipped to stiff peaks.
Transfer everything into a buttered pan dusted with cocoa. Bake in a 374°F (convection) oven for 35 minutes.
Here is the Caprese, the chocolate cake, ready.
Caprese, chocolate cake.
So delicious, everyone! Please make it again.
Add a dusting of powdered sugar and the Caprese is ready.
A delightful cake from the very first slice.
Tips
I would recommend a gluten-free cake like this one, made with almonds and without flour: the “torta delle monache” without flour, which is delicious.
Torta delle monache senza farina
Torta delle monache senza farina
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can you melt the chocolate instead of cutting it into flakes?
You can certainly melt it, but leaving it in flakes is definitely lighter. Melting it first makes the final texture heavier.
