Torta caprese

Torta caprese is a dense, flourless chocolate cake made with ground almonds, butter, eggs and sugar. It is named after the island of Capri in the Bay of Naples.

What it really is

The cake is built on dark chocolate, butter, eggs, sugar and ground almonds, with the almonds taking the place of flour. The chocolate and butter are melted together, the yolks are beaten with sugar, and the whipped egg whites are folded in with the almonds and chocolate mixture. It is baked in a round tin until the top sets and the centre remains moist, so that a slice holds its shape but is soft inside. Many versions are finished with a dusting of icing sugar and sometimes a little lemon zest or a splash of liqueur.

The cake is often confused with a flourless chocolate torte made with only chocolate and eggs, or with a standard chocolate sponge. The defining features of the classic version are the ground almonds as the structure and the very low proportion of chocolate to batter. Its origin is usually linked to Capri, but the exact history is not well documented and the name is more a regional attribution than a fixed recipe.

How it's served

• Cut into thin wedges and served at room temperature with coffee or after a meal
• Dusted with icing sugar just before serving
• Sometimes accompanied by lightly whipped cream, custard or a spoonful of fruit sauce
• Eaten as a dessert or an afternoon cake

How to write it on the menu

• Name the key ingredients: dark chocolate, butter, almonds and eggs, with the note that the cake contains no flour
• Flag the allergens clearly: EGGS, MILK and ALMONDS
• State that the cake is gluten free in its classic form, but that it may be cut on shared equipment
• Specify whether the cake is served with cream, custard or dusted only with icing sugar