Citrus Torte Caprese

January 30, 2021

A torte caprese is a traditional Italian flourless cake. It is said to have originated on the beautiful island of Capri and is a perfect combination of chocolate, whipped egg whites and almond flour. Although this cake is usually flavored with dark or semi-sweet chocolate, todays version is made with white chocolate. Now to be honest, I am not usually a big fan of white chocolate, but in this recipe the white chocolate takes a backseat to the bold tart flavors in this citrus take on the torte caprese.

This cake is gluten free due to the use of almond flour and very easy to put together. Aside from almond flour, the only other “special” ingredient needed would be citrus extract. While this is not absolutely necessary, I would suggest you acquire some lemon or orange extract, because it really adds something special to this and many other recipes. For the citrus juice and zest, I am using lemons, limes and clementines, but you could use any citrus that you would like! This recipe is a little twist on Giada de Laurentiis’ recipe and I hope you have a few people to share it with when you make it, because if you don’t, you will end up eating the whole thing yourself. Don’t say I didn’t warn you…

To get your torte caprese started, you will need 12 tablespoons or 1 and 1/2 sticks of butter and 6oz of white chocolate in a medium glass bowl that can be used as a double broiler. A double broiler is the best way to melt chocolate and you don’t need any special equipment to make one. You only need a glass bowl and a sauce pan that fits together so that you can boil water in the pan and the glass bowl sits above the water without touching it. Bring the water to a boil and stir the butter and chocolate until it is smooth.

While your double broiler is doing its thing, zest your citrus into a bowl. I made enough for both the cake and the whipped cream I will top it with later. I used 1 large lemon, 2 large clementines and 3 small limes. After they were zested, I cut them in half and juiced them into a different bowl. You will need about 1/3 of a cup of juice. Next, separate 5 eggs into whites and yolks. You will be whipping the egg whites, so place them into either the bowl of your stand mixer or a bowl that you can hand mix them in and add the salt.

Place the egg yolks into a large bowl. Whip the egg whites until stiff glossy peaks have formed and then set them aside. Add 2/3 of a cup of sugar into the egg whites and whisk them until they are light and a pale yellow color. Next, add your citrus juice and zest and whisk everything together before adding 1 1/2 cup of almond flour. Once the almond flour has been incorporated, mix in the melted butter and chocolate. The final step is to carefully fold in the egg whites in three sections. Be sure to treat them gently so you don’t deflate their delicate texture.

Prepare a 9″ springform pan by greasing it and setting it on a flat baking sheet. I have the best success with take 1 tablespoon of soft butter and smearing it all over the interior surface of the pan. Be sure to work it into the edges, so when the cake is baked, it will release from the pan easily. Transfer the batter into the springform and place it into a preheated oven at 350 degrees. This cake usually takes between 40 and 45 minutes to bake. Keep your eye on the oven temp so it doesn’t rise above 350 degrees during baking.

The top of the cake should be golden brown and when you insert a toothpick into the center of the cake, it should come out clean. Once this happens, place the cake onto a cooling rack, still in the pan, for about 10 minutes. Once the pan is cool enough to touch, release the side of the springform and detach it from the base. Allow the cake to cool fully. It should take about 30 minutes or so, but touch the top to be sure that the cake is no longer warm. This torte caprese is topped with whipped cream, so it is important that the cake is cool before doing this.

To make the topping, whip 1 cup of cold heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of confectioners sugar until soft peaks have formed. I added additional citrus zest to the whipped cream and a little lemon extract too, just to be sure the citrus flavors were bold, but this is an optional step. I dusted the top of the cake with confectioners sugar and then spooned all of the whipped cream into the middle of the cake and spread it out to about 1 inch from the boarder of the cake.

This citrus torte caprese is so moist and tart. The crumb to this cake paired with the citrus flavors reminds me a bit of a the very top part of a pineapple upside down cake. The part where the sugary syrup soaks down into the cake…. it is so perfect. You can serve this torte caprese at room temperature or place it into the refrigerator for a bit. It is great chilled. Store it in the refrigerator until you give in and eat the final piece. You are going to love this cake…..

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