Make Ahead

Sorta Torta Anacaprese

by:
January 15, 2012
0
0 Ratings
  • Serves 8-10
Author Notes

I fell in love with Torta Anacaprese— a not-too-sweet lemon almond cake-- on a visit to Capri a few years ago. I ate it every chance I got in the short time I was there; it’s killer for breakfast, especially with a shot of espresso. The only recipes I could find online were in Italian, so I reworked a recipe for torta di limone, amping up the citrus and incorporating almond flour and toasted almonds. The result isn’t quite the torta I remember—I might have to go back to Italy for that--but a lovely, lemony cake all the same. —Midge

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups AP flour
  • 3/4 cup almond meal/flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 12 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature, plus more for buttering cake pan
  • 1 1/2 cups sugar, divided
  • 4 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup lemon zest (from about 5-6 lemons)
  • 3/4 cup lemon juice, divided
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, toasted
  • 1/4 cup water
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9-inch bundt or springform pan.
  2. Whisk flour, almond flour, salt, baking powder, and soda together; set aside.
  3. In a standing mixer, cream butter and 1 cup of the sugar for 2 minutes. Add eggs one at a time and mix on high for 5 minutes.
  4. Gradually fold in the dry ingredients, alternating with ¼ cup of the lemon juice and ¼ cup of milk until blended.
  5. Scrap batter—it’ll be thick --into prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes.
  6. While the cake is baking, combine the remaining ½ cup of sugar, ½ cup of lemon juice, and water in a small saucepan and boil until the sugar melts and the syrup is slightly thickened.
  7. When the cake is done, let it cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Using a skewer or toothpick, poke the cake all over and pour most of the syrup (reserve about 3 tablespoons) slowly over the cake. Let it absorb the syrup until it’s completely cool.
  8. In the meantime, thicken the reserved syrup by boiling it further until it reaches the consistency of glaze.
  9. Turn cooled cake onto serving plate and brush it with the glaze. Press toasted almonds onto sticky surface as best you can and voila!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Veronica Morgan
    Veronica Morgan
  • ChefJune
    ChefJune
  • TiggyBee
    TiggyBee
  • mrslarkin
    mrslarkin
  • gingerroot
    gingerroot
Midge

Recipe by: Midge

I’m a journalist who’s covered everything from illegal logging in Central America to merit pay for teachers, but these days I write mostly about travel. I’ve been lucky enough to find myself in some far-flung locales, where poking around markets and grocery stores is my favorite thing to do. Cooking, especially baking, is my way of winding down after a long day; there’s nothing like kneading bread dough to bring you back to earth.

18 Reviews

Veronica M. July 2, 2017
Tried it! Great tasting cake.
I made a mistakes. Thanks for posting this recipe.
1.. forget to add the lemon rinds to the batter during the mixing.



 
ChefJune November 17, 2014
since I'm not cooking Thanksgiving this year, I can make this cake for T'Day breakfast.
 
TiggyBee November 17, 2014
Yes yes, and yes!
 
mrslarkin November 17, 2014
Yes! Cake for breakfast. Italians know a thing or two.
 
gingerroot January 26, 2012
What a lovely cake, Midge! I love the almond-lemon combination - I bet it is incredibly fragrant.
 
Midge January 29, 2012
Thanks so much gingerroot!
 
EmilyC January 18, 2012
This looks insanely delicious! I love your incorporation of almonds and almond flour. It reminds me of a cake I made about a week ago (lemon bliss from King Arthur Flour) but yours sounds better! And I would be all over this breakfast! : )
 
EmilyC January 18, 2012
umm, meant "for breakfast"
 
Midge January 18, 2012
Thanks EmilyC! I've been chipping away at it this week for breakfast and um, second breakfast.
 
EmilyC January 18, 2012
"Second breakfast" -- love that term!
 
aargersi January 18, 2012
Love! Yum! If we can't get to Capri, we can at least eat this cake ....
 
Midge January 18, 2012
Thanks so much aargersi!
 
fiveandspice January 17, 2012
This looks wonderful!!! Also, I love the name.
 
Midge January 17, 2012
Thanks fiveandspice! Missing all those bakeries up in Boston so I've been doing a lot of myself! Hope to tackle your sticky buns soon.
 
TheWimpyVegetarian January 15, 2012
Beautiful, Midge!!
 
Midge January 16, 2012
thanks ChezSuzanne!
 
hardlikearmour January 15, 2012
This sounds fabulous, Midge! The photo is beautiful, too.
 
Midge January 17, 2012
Thanks so much hla!