Torta Caprese

Being a sucker for cooking magazines has its consequences.

Every once in a while you really want to try out a new recipe and it turns out to be so delicious you want to retry a new version every day.

But always with good ingredients, probably the best you can find in Nelson.

That's what happened when I saw a recipe by an italian chef, food journalist and cooking school owner, Alba Pezone.

Presenting the Torta Caprese, a flour-free chocolate cake that you can find in any pâtisserie of Capri, Italy and a dessert featured in ELLE à Table n°71, a french magazine for foodies.

I guess what appealed to me was the absence of gluten rich flour in the ingredients list, since more and more of my friends tend to have a sensitivity to gluten, I thought it would be a treat easy to share with them.

Also, it makes a huge difference if you choose to use organic butter, fair trade good quality chocolate, free range eggs...etc. I personnaly tend to choose good quality ingredients, and organic when I can.

Not only it will taste better, but the social and environmental impact of your cake will be way smaller.

So here is the receipe:

• 200g almond flour
• 50g icing sugar
• 100g butter
• 50g olive oil
• 200g of fair trade chocolate (min. 55% cacao)
• 5 eggs
• 50g cane sugar

This is NOT a gluten free recipe, as almond flour can contain traces of gluten because it is commonly processed in mills that process other types of grains, however you can find gluten free almond flour if you're really sensitive.

Step 1

On a double boiler , melt chocolate in small pieces + butter + olive oil.

This will be your A mix.

Step 2

In a food processor, mix together almond flour and icing sugar, pour through a strainer into a bowl.

This is your B mix.

Step 3

In a salad bowl, whip the eggs and the cane sugar together for at least 5 minutes (up to 10') until you get a very foamy & creamy texture.

This will be your C mix.

Step 4

Using a scraper or a spoon, very gently incorporate the B mix into the C mix. In circular motion and by lifting up the solid part into the liquid one.

Stop mixing as soon as you get a smooth blend.

Step 5

Add the A mix in order to get a totally blended cake dough.

Step 6

Pour the dough into a parchment paper covered 8" pie dish, and bake for 5' in a 200°C oven then reduce to 160°C and continue to bake for 25'.

Let it cool before taking it out of the form, and if you can resist eating it right away, keep in mind that it will be even better the day after, with (or without) a haze of icing sugar on top.

Tadaa!

Not only it is ridiculously yummy,

but it's soo easy to make.

I tried it with slightly less sugar,

and some vanilla, for this second batch.