Torta Caprese

Chocolatey, gooey and naturally gluten-free, Caprese cake is one of Campania's many delicious desserts. Perfect alongside a cuppa or at the end of a family Sunday lunch (in true Italian fashion).

Although you might think of Neapolitan food as just pizza, Neaples and its region of Campania have given us much more than that. Think Genovese ragu, sfogliatelle, pastiera... you name it - some of Italy's most delicious food hails from this region. And Capri, the famous island just off the coast of the region has provided us with both the iconic Caprese salad, made with creamy mozzarella and sweet tomatoes, and Torta Caprese.

Torta Caprese is not as well known as the other dishes I have mentioned, and even for me it was a late discovery. I was sort of aware of it for ages, but had never tried it. Until my family and I drove all the way to Sicily and stopped in Campania for a couple nights. We stayed at a family-run BnB, whose nonna would bake some delicious cakes every morning for breakfast. There, I tried my proper first Caprese cake, and I couldn't understand how I could've spent all those years without it. It was so chocolately and gooey, yet fluffy and light. It was impossible not to go for seconds.

Torta Caprese is a naturally gluten-free cake, made with dark chocolate, cocoa powder and almond flour. What makes it light and airy as opposed to stodgy is the eggs, which are separated and the withes are then beaten until soft peaks form. That is what gives it that bouncy, light texture and makes it totally addictive. It's perfect to try as an easy gluten-free cake, if you're just starting out. Or if you simply want a delicious cake. I love having a slice with a cup of tea or coffee in the afternoon, but I have brought it along for a few suppers with friends and has received roaring praise. And now that we are slowly getting into the colder months, I think this is the perfect cake to embrace the change of season: it's comforting and decadent, whithout being heavy.

How to Make Torta Caprese

• Melt your chocolate: You want to slowly melt good-quality chocolate with butter over a pot of simmering water. The butter will help the chcolate turn into a silky ganache as it melts.

• Beat your egg whites: Separate your egg whites from the yolks, add just a little bit of sugar to help them stabilise and beat until light peaks form. I would recommend a stand mixer or electric whisk for this job, unless you're looking for an arm workout.

• Sift your cocoa powder: As we want to preserve the light texture of this cake, it's important you also sift your cocoa powder to make sure all the ingredients combine until smooth and no lumps form,

• Choose your optional ingredients: The traditional recipe calls for a shot of rhum, but I like to bend traditions and sometimes use a shot of amaretto instead, which goes very well with the almonds. Of course you can fully omit the alcohol if you prefer. Some recipes do also call for the zest of an orange to be added to your dry ingredients, so feel free to add it if you fancy it.

• Add the egg whites in batches: Since we don't want to knock out the air from your beaten egg whites, you need to gently fold them into the cake batter in three batches, folding in one third at a time until just combined. It is important not to over mix.

• Time to bake: You want to bake this cake at a slightly lower temp than most cakes (170C/340F), for about 30-35 mins.

Ingredients:

185g ground almonds or almond flour

185g dark chocolate

185g unsalted butter + more for greasing the tin

170g caster sugar

4 tbsp cocoa powder + more for dusting the tin

4 medium eggs

1 shot of rhum or amaretto (optional)

Powdered sugar for dusting

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170C / 340F. Over a pot of simmering water, melt your chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl. Once just melted, remove from the heat and leave to cool down slightly.

2. Meanwhile, divide the egg whites from the yolks. Add 1 or 2 tbps caster sugar to the egg whites and beat until soft peaks form. Set aside in the fridge.

3. In another large bowl, whisk together the yolks and the remaining sugar. Add your cooled down chocolate mixture and rhum or amaretto (if using) and mix until combined.

4. Sift the cocoa powder into your batter, then add your ground almonds and mix to combine.

5. Gently fold in the egg whites into the batter, in batches, so as to not overmix. Do this slowly to ensure you don't knock out too much air off the egg whites.

6. Grease a round springform tin with butter, then dust with cocoa powder. Pour the cake batter into the tin and bake for 30-35 mins.

7. Leave the cake to cool down completely, then dust with powdered sugar. If you want to go all traditional, cover the cake with a cooling rack before dusting, so as to get a grid pattern (as seen in the pictures here).

Torta Caprese can keep for up to 4 days after baking.