Caprese

Caprese is a cake from Campania, its peculiarity is the absence of flour and baking powder. Some recipes require crumbled fette biscottate (french toast) but I like without.
If you like chocolate cakes, this caprese will not disappoint you, it's moist, rich but not heavy, it's really a fantastic recipe.


The original recipe was posted by Lydia Capasso on the Italian Forum of Cucina Italiana.

Leaving the same quantities, I completely changed the method, getting -in my opinion -a better result. It is a very moist cake and doesn't cling to your palate. It keeps well for several days with no refrigeration and actually improves its taste.

It doesn't contain flour, so it's also a perfect cake for gluten intollerants.

140 g sugar
140 g bittersweet chocolate
140 g unsalted butter
140 g unpeeled almonds
210—230 g eggs total whole weight (about 4 small eggs)
1 pinch of salt


These quantities are ok for a 20 cm diameter mold.

Preheat the oven at 200 C. Butter and flour your mold.

I slightly toasted the almonds in the oven and when cold grated in the mixer (I have a bosch mixer with the grating dish, make a perfect flour without overheating the almonds), alternatively you can pulse the almonds in the coffe grinder with a couple teaspoons of sugar (taken by the recipe quantity). Leaving the almonds with the peel is a little tastier, more rustic flavour.

I grated the chocolate with the fine microplane.

Whip the soft butter with the sugar until very light and foamy, add the yolks one at the time, add the chocolate (here, half of the chocolate was just grated, the other half I decided to melt, let cool before adding), then add the almond flour and alternate with a little bit of whipped egg whites. Fold in remaining egg whites. Pour in the mold and level with a spatula. Bake at 200 C for 5 minutes, then reduce to 170 for about 30-35 minutes, check toward the end.

Bitter almonds are not a bad addiction, you could use some in place of the regular one but don't use almond extracts, the most of the time are nasty. Instead,if you like, you can add some vanilla essence.

Do not overbake, it's important it stays moist. Serve with creme anglaise, or gelato, or simply dusted with 10X.