Chocolate lovers...this is the Torta Caprese!

[Pongi]

One of the best chocolate cakes I have ever tasted (and made!) It's a special one because doesn't contain any flour, which is substituted with powdered almonds.

TORTA CAPRESE

Ingredients ( for a 11-12 inch round baking dish):

11 oz peeled almonds
7 oz butter
7 oz castor sugar
6 oz bitter chocolate
4 large eggs
vanilla essence
icing sugar

1)Bake the almonds at 350° for 5 mins or until slightly toasted and when cool blend them to a powder in a food processor.

2) Keep the butter at RT for a while and work it with a spoon until creamy. Add 4 oz sugar and work again.

3)Work the egg yolks with the remaining sugar and few drops of vanilla essence until soft. Add to the butter cream and mix well. Add the powdered almonds.

4)Melt the chocolate gently heating it in a double saucepan, adding a tbsp water if required. When warm, add to the other ingredients and mix until smooth.

5)Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until very firm. Add them to the other ingredients, mixing very gently.

6)Soak a baking paper sheet in cold water. Wring it and spread into the baking dish.

7)Pour the chocolate cream into the baking dish and level with a wet knife. It must be 1 - 1 1/2 inch thick. Bake at 350° for 40 mins. When cool, put the cake out of shape with the baking paper, then remove the paper.

8)Probably, the cake surface will be broken somewhere. It's normal, since the cake is supposed to be crumbly outside, like a meringue, and almost creamy inside. Don't worry, sprinkle the cake with plenty of icing sugar, and serve!


This is the original recipe from the island of Capri. I've tried to substitute the almonds with the same amount of hazelnuts, and the result is delicious as well. So, I've created the

TORTA GIANDUIA!

Hope you'll enjoy both!

Pongi

[Bufano]

I would like to make this cake. What is Castor sugar and where do you buy it? I make a fantastic choc hazelnut torte with ganache.....tastes like gianduia. My favorite!!!!


Parli L'Italiano forse?


"Amici e vino devono essere vecchi"


Ciao,

R. Bufano

[nancya]

Did I mention what a good job I'm doing keeping my sugars down? Wow! This looks really great panini!

Nancy

[Pongi]

OMG...I've been asked other times about the meaning of "Castor sugar"...there must be something wrong in my English dictionary as this is just the word I found when looking for the translation of "Zucchero Semolato". I mean, the normal white sugar you put in your coffee and use for making sweets. Maybe you simply call it "sugar" (zucchero) as we Italian do? Please elucidate me about this point!

Pongi

[Risa]

It's just superfine sugar.

[Rachel]

Pongi, you are right, but castor sugar is a phrase used in the UK not US, so those on the other side of the Atlantic (i.e. most of Chef Talk) don't necesarily understand it. Sometime the words that people use for cooking on Chef Talk really confuse me and I have to ask seemingly ridiculous questions as I don't understand the words. And English (well a Scottish version of it, )is my first language!

[Bufano]

I know now what castor sugar is and I have learned something. i bought the C&H Baker's sugar which is superfine baking sugar.

Very cool!!!