introducing...torta caprese...saviour for the gluten intolerant

 

hey viewers do you want to have your cake and eat it too?

i have to confess i have had my fair share of cakes over the years, hee, hee but unfortunately i have had to activate the cake brakes in the name of health. that is not to say i don’t sneak a few crumbs every now and then just don’t tell the cake police aka my sister, my mother, my sons who have taken to watching my food consumption with eagle eyes…drats!

now some of us sadly  in this culinary world cannot partake in the smorgasbord of cake heaven due to food allergies and intolerances but please don’t tell me you have a visual allergy to parsley…true story. does such a thing genuinely exist? if that is the case then i must have a visual allergy to my ex, ha-ha…no seriously that is just my little joke, more like a visual allergy to his new wife. but then again i shall not succumb to being a mean girl ( well maybe only when needed) and instead introduce you to the wonderful creation from naples, torta caprese.

this gluten free wonder is a naples staple and i came upon its discovery through my little sestra chef magnifico who happened to be given a cookbook by loredarlz, our friend in common. yes it involves almonds but no oranges here folks and makes a wonderful alternative to the standard orange, flourless creation that once upon a time was about the only dessert offering to the gluten free. and you don’t have to be a coeliac to enjoy it. so in honour of my buddies who genuinely are gluten intolerant, here is a dessert for you which you can serve up to anyone and enjoy yourself with a big dob of thick cream or mascarpone on the side. i recently made this for a birthday and it was received with oohs and ahs so take it from these lovely ladies it is worth the time, effort and you can be an inclusive baker.

*tips from the test kitchen

 

although this recipe is from the book an extra cup of almond meal is added to the batter

 i used my calibut 54% dark chocolate chips for this, so if you are not a huge dark chocolate fan then use good quality standard dark chocolate, such as old gold

 beat, beat, beat for a good 10 mins, those yolks and sugar need to be creamy

 double line the sides of your cake tin, this can be achieved by folding the baking paper in half and having open edges at the top…also grease your tin  and line the bottom but this can be a single layer of baking paper

 check cake after 50 mins by inserting skewer in the centre

 torta caprese

 ingredients

250 gms unsalted butter

250gms of castor sugar

6 large eggs separated

60ml limoncello liqueur

400 gms blanched almonds…roughly chopped or roughly blitzed in food processor, plus one cup of almond meal

250gms good quality dk chocolate

icing sugar for dusting

method

preheat oven to 180 C or 350 F

melt the butter in a heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water, then allow to cool slightly.

beat egg yolks, sugar and limoncello until thick and creamy, 10mins

in a separate bowl whip egg whites until stiff, then fold into egg yolk mixture and also add the butter.

fold in almonds and chocolate, pour into a very well lined 10-inch cake tin and bake for 50-60 mins or until skewer inserted comes out clean (check at 50 mins)

when cool dust with icing sugar and serve with a dollop of thick cream or mascarpone…enjoy.