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Torta Caprese (Chocolate and Almond Flourless Cake)

Name: Torta Caprese (Chocolate and Almond Flourless Cake)
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 2 h
Yield: Serves 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 125 grams (4.4 oz) blanched almonds (or almond meal); 125 grams (4.4 oz) good quality dark chocolate (I use 70% cocoa); 125 grams (4.4 oz or 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, chopped; 125 grams (4.4 oz or 1/2 cup) sugar; 3 large eggs, separated and left to come to room temperature; powdered sugar for dusting

by: Emiko

May 24, 2021

5 58 Ratings

Torta Caprese (Chocolate and Almond Flourless Cake)

Photo by Emiko

Prep time 1 hour
Cook time 1 hour
Serves 6

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Author Notes

The famous dessert of the Island of Capri I've found, over the years of making this cake, is extremely forgiving. The almond meal, butter, chocolate and sugar should be equal in weight. This is the time to get out the digital scale, as it makes not only preparing this but also remembering it later so easy. I've done this with 85 grams of each and 3 eggs. Or 250 grams of each and 5-6 eggs. Once I only had 125 grams of almond meal and I simply used that as the proportion for the rest of the ingredients, along with 3 eggs. They only change the cake a little in height and size, but each has come out smooth and moist, almost fudgy. And, in fact, the last measurement is my favorite because in an 8 inch round pan, it comes out just over an inch tall, which I think makes for a good-sized sliver.

If you like, you can add a splash of rum, some lemon or orange zest or (reminiscent of Elizabeth David's chocolate and almond cake, which closely resembles torta caprese) and a dash of strong coffee.

You can also double these ingredients and bake them in a 10 inch pan for a slightly larger cake.

Helpful tools for this recipe:
- Maple Wooden Cake Stand
- KitchenAid Cordless Hand Mixer
- Mason Cash Cane Mixing Bowls

—Emiko

Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

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Torta Caprese (Chocolate and Almond Flourless Cake)

Ingredients

125 grams (4.4 oz) blanched almonds (or almond meal)
125 grams (4.4 oz) good quality dark chocolate (I use 70% cocoa)
125 grams (4.4 oz or 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, chopped
125 grams (4.4 oz or 1/2 cup) sugar
3 large eggs, separated and left to come to room temperature
powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

Grease and line a 20-centimeter or 8-inch round cake tin with baking paper (I like to use a springform tin or one with a removable base for this delicate cake) and preheat oven to 160ºC or 320°F.
If using whole blanched almonds, blitz them to a very fine, sandy texture in a food processor. Set aside.
Place the chocolate, broken up, in a metal or glass bowl set over a bain marie (double broiler, or a pot of simmering water). When melted, remove the bowl from the heat and add the butter, stirring with a wooden spoon or silicon spatula to help it melt. Then add the sugar and the almond meal.
Once the mixture is no longer hot, add the egg yolks and stir to combine with a wooden spoon. If adding any further ingredients (orange zest, rum, etc), stir them in now.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites with beaters to soft, fluffy peaks. Fold the whites gently through the chocolate and almond batter.
Pour the batter into the cake tin, smooth over the top and bake for approximately 40 minutes or until the top appears dry and a skewer inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (not wet batter). It is important not to overcook this cake so that it retains its wonderful moist consistency. Let cool completely in the tin before handling.
Dust with powdered sugar and, if desired, some lightly whipped cream. This cake keeps well for several days and is even better the next day.

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105 Reviews

sally March 24, 2025

has anyone tried this in muffin tins?

Emiko March 24, 2025

I have! They obviously cook quickly, and they tend to be drier so I found it's best to undercook this cake than overcook it so even if you poke a stick into the middle and it's still got some crumbs/batter clinging to it, it's better than it coming out clean!

sally March 24, 2025

Thank you for the quick reply, Emiko. That's wonderful, I'm going to experiment today. Do you use muffin cups? Or just grease a muffin tin?

jgately March 21, 2025

Look no further. So good and so easy. I used 1/2 cup of fine almond flour, and it turned out lovely, though another review suggests 1 cup, so I think it is a nicely forgiving recipe. Keep in mind that this will not rise and presents almost like a brownie. Inspired by another Food 52 flourless chocolate cake recipe, I added 1/4 cup or so of cocoa powder and to make it my own I added 1 teaspoon of ground cardamom and sprinkled Maldon salt on top. Divine! The Italian at the table instantly recognized the cake as a Torta Caprese and it brought smiles to all around the table.

Leems42069 February 18, 2025

Really enjoyed this cake. Low effort and high yield of a delicious bake! I added a TBSP each of Kahlua and Cointreau and it added a subtle little something extra. Will definitely be baking again.

Tavnado February 12, 2025

I did half as much to test it out. Worked great. I might add more chocolate next time but I'm a chocoholic lol. Plus I measured in cups, not grams so I'm not sure if it was quite enough.

Tavnado February 12, 2025

Very fluffy! Pleasantly surprised with how delicious it is

Tinesha E. February 8, 2025

I’m about to make this cake, but I’m a little confused with the conversions. I’m in the US and it looks like 125 g equals one cup, but in the ingredients listed, it shows 125 g of sugar being 1 cup. Does that mean I should also use one cup of almond meal?

Tavnado February 12, 2025

Hello,

Item weights are different so here is the conversions-

1 Cup almond Flour
1/2 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup chocolate
(3 eggs)

Tinesha E. February 14, 2025

Thank you so much! (I accidentally wrote that the recipe called for 1 cup of sugar rather than 1/2 cup 🙃)

Yvette February 3, 2025

Great recipe - highly recommend! Will make again soon. I had half the cake leftover so I sliced it and froze it and it was still delicious.

Su January 26, 2025

Great recipe - super delicious!

Dmazecraze December 27, 2024

Made this and it was delicious! I added the zest of an orange and a little grand marnier and I saw two commenters said it was too sweet, so I cut the sugar in the cake by 25% which was perfect. I may have added a smidge more chocolate too just bc extra crumbled off when I was cutting/weighing. Super intense and yet balanced flavor with a lightness to it. Will make again.

pmartinez37 December 22, 2023

I remember having this cake and loving it so much. Does anyone know if monk fruit may be used as a substitute?

Trishington September 18, 2023

So good and preposterously easy! I added a teaspoon of espresso powder to the batter for a little oomph and it was so delicious served with a dollop of whipped cream. Perfect for company or family dinners. Will definitely make this again and again!

TheAnxiousBaker February 1, 2023

Easy, wonderful cake that’s a nice change from other flourless chocolate recipes. Scaled up to 9” springform with additional third of everything, plus 1 tbs. rum and zest of 1/2 orange. Total of 1-1/2 c. fluffed, fine-ground almond flour worked great. 40 minutes at 325° perfect. Served with heavy cream whipped with little sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Flavor of cake definitely intensified next day, so was glad not to have gone too crazy with rum and zest.

Angiepin December 31, 2022

I have made this several times. It is easy to make, and it gets eaten very quickly. It’s rich with a light texture. It has become a go to recipe whenever I have gluten free guests coming as well.

ryanbissoon December 6, 2022

Great recipe. Added 2 tbsps of Frangelico. Delicious!

Michelle May 22, 2022

Love. The only word needed to describe this torte. Easy to make. Followed instructions. Added orange zest to chocolate mix (1/4 orange). Rich, but not dense. Only about 1” high. It was even better on day two. Served with fresh berries.

Senny March 11, 2022

I added a dash of salt and a couple drops of bergamot oil and yumm.
this is the ultimate easy but impressive recipe

bakingistherapy April 15, 2022

where do you get Bergamot oil? Thank you!

kabethany February 15, 2022

Wow! This cake was spectacular and relatively simple to make. I made it as a Valentine's Day dessert and it did not disappoint. I included some freshly zested orange and topped with homemade blueberry compote.... YUM. I didn't have a scale accessible so based off some googling used the following measurements - 1/2 cup blanched almond flour, 3/4 cup chocolate chips (all other ingredients as listed). I used a 7 in. spring pan and cooked for closer to 55 mins but am at higher altitude. Baker's kiss to this one! Will certainly be making again.

charlenesilver February 8, 2022

This is the best damn everyday chocolate cake I’ve appreciated having in my life. I’ve been following it as instructed for years now and it consistently satisfies the chocolate cake craving (I follow the add extract portion and go with coffee). Yummy treat that you have to try :)

Tracey January 24, 2022

This is a really wonderful recipe. It could hardly be any easier, but the result is very special. I will admit that I iced it with ganache (with a little bit of sour cream in it along with the whipping cream), since I made it for my husband's birthday. What a treat! I will be making this again and again. I especially look forward to making it for friends who can't eat wheat, since it is every bit as delicious -- really more -- than chocolate cakes made with wheat flour. I had a 9 inch silicone pan. I reduced the baking time slightly, and it came out perfectly.

Catherine P. January 13, 2022

Excellent and sooo forgiving. I miss calculated the amount of almond meal and only had a packet 100g so I adjusted everything else accordingly except eggs which I kept at 3. I had already started adding the first bit of whipped egg white when I looked over and saw my egg yolks!!! Yikes! Added them in with a spatula then finished up the egg whites. Used an 8” cake pan. Baked for 35 min. Sprinkled with powdered sugar after it cooled.
It tasted and looked fantastic.
I will definitely make again using my adjusted 100g as the almond meal and 70% chocolate bar come in that weight packaging.
Interesting that I found some recipes the ingredients are by measure vs weight which does not correlate at all. No matter, this one is a keeper.

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