We’ve just wrapped up our week-long tour of the Amalfi Coast where the group and I have enjoyed a few versions of the famous Caprese Cake. As such, I found it fitting to share with you today one of my favorite desserts from the island of Capri.

As the name suggests, the Caprese Cake hails from the picturesque island of Capri. This dessert, along with the pastiera, the babà, and the sfogliatelle, stands as a true emblem of the Campania region. What sets it apart is its relatively recent origin. In a delightful twist of fate, chef Carmine Di Fiore unintentionally baked an almond and chocolate cake in 1920, forgetting to add all-purpose flour. And thus, a delectable classic was born.

This delightful dessert is best savored in its simplicity, with a light dusting of powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream, or scoop of vanilla gelato. A testament to its charm, this cake is naturally gluten-free and a breeze to make, offering the added advantage of a quick and easy baking experience.

To make the Caprese Cake, break up the chocolate and melt it in a double boiler or microwave. Be extra careful if you melt it in the microwave, as it can go from perfectly melted to burnt in seconds. Let the chocolate cool. Add the butter, sugar, and salt to the mixing bowl and work it for a few minutes to obtain a well-whipped mixture. Alternatively, you can do this with a wooden spoon, though it will require more elbow grease.

With the mixer on low, add the room-temperature eggs to the butter mixture, followed by the melted chocolate and almond flour. Before combining any of the ingredients, make sure that the previous one has been well blended. Continue mixing the batter until smooth. Grease and flour an 8-inch springform pan and pour the mixture inside, leveling it well with a spatula or the back of a spoon. For an extra kick of chocolate, you can use cocoa powder instead of flour to “flour” the pan. This will assure you a truly gluten free dessert. You can also use almond flour instead.

Bake it in a preheated oven at 340 ° for 30 – 35 minutes. When cooked, remove the cake from the oven and let it rest completely before removing it from the pan. Decorate the Caprese Cake with a generous sprinkling of icing sugar before serving.

An alternative to almond flour is grinding some almonds in the food processor to a fine powder, essentially resulting in homemade almond flour. Both options work well, but almond flour skips the extra step and is easier to prepare. This cake does not have any leavening agents (no baking powder), so it is not a very tall cake. Rest assured, it will not rise very much, but you did nothing wrong, and cake is supposed to be that way. 

Caprese Cake

Yields 1 Cake

Ingredients

5 oz 70% dark chocolate
8½ tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature)
½ cup granulated white sugar
3 large eggs (at room temperature)
1¾ cup almond flour
¼ teaspoon salt
Optional: Powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 340°. Grease and flour an 8-inch spring form pan and set it aside. (You can also use a 10-inch pan, but cake will be flatter.)
2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Set aside to cool off.
3. With the mixer on medium, beat the butter and sugar until well blended, about 3 minutes.
4. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well.
5. With the mixer still on low, add the melted chocolate and mix well.
6. Add the almond flour and mix well until fully incorporated and you don’t see any traces of white batter.
7. Add batter to prepared spring form pan and bake for 35 – 40 minutes. Because every oven is different, start testing the cake with a cake tester at the 30 minute mark. Insert a clean toothpick and if the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.
8. Remove from the oven and cool completely before removing from the pan. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.