Eatentions

Organic * Local * Sustainable

almond

Torta Caprese

by

Torta Caprese

Torta Caprese

Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate; I vowed to eat it everyday and in one form or another, I do. I absolutely ADORE dark chocolate and now that the medical field has found it healthy, I have a guilt-free addiction. Life is so good!

Probably like many of you, I have a bunch of gluten-free friends and coming up with yummy desserts that taste good aren’t always the easiest feat for me (I do make pasta for a living afterall). So when I played around with a recipe of a “torta caprese”, translation, chocolate and almond cake, which I learned in my beloved Italy, and it tasted good, I was completely jazzed!

For those of you who don’t know what torta caprese is, it’s this delicious chocolate almond cake from the island of Capri (doesn’t that fact just make you want to indulge)? The torta, it is a simple cake and was first created by the hospitality industry of the island primarily for tourists. It is traditional to the area and makes for a wonderful story to tell when you serve this little bit of chocolate heaven.

I usually top it with powdered sugar because I love a rustic looking cake but if you feel so compelled, I think whip cream would work beautifully especially with a little orange flower water or lemon zest.

So, when you feel like escaping for dessert in Capri, prepare this tort and transport yourself to the island….

Torta Caprese
 
Print
Author:
Ingredients
  • 10.5 Ounces - Dark Chocolate
  • 6 - Large Eggs, Separated
  • 1¾ + ⅛ Cup - Sugar
  • 1½ tsp. - Vanilla Extract
  • 1¾ + ⅛ Cup of Almond Flour
  • 10.5 Ounces of Butter, Melted & Cooled
  • Powdered Sugar for Dusting
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. and lightly grease a 9 inch spring form pan.
  2. In a double broiler over medium heat, melt chocolate and butter together. Stir and remove from heat.
  3. Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla extract until pale and thick.
  4. Fold the chocolate, butter and almond flour into the egg yolk mixture.
  5. Use a clean bowl to beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks, then fold these into the chocolate almond mixture.
  6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan, and bake for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out of center with a little "fudgyness"
  7. Cool 20 minutes, then remove from the tin.
  8. Allow to cool to room temperature, then dust the top with powdered sugar or cocoa. Serve with whip cream

Torta Caprese

 

 

Almond Olive Oil Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

by

Almond Olive Oil Cake with Brown Butter Glaze 2

Almond Olive Oil Cake with Brown Butter Glaze 1

Olive oil cake is probably my most favorite of all, it’s moist and dense and the texture is divine….now add some almond and a brown butter glaze and that is as close to dessert heaven as it gets in my book!

When I first saw olive oil cake on the menu in Italy, I thought it would be an overwhelming amount of oil coupled with a strong taste that I wasn’t sure of but ……could I have been more wrong? Why and how could I doubt the masters of my favorite cuisine? For a moment I did, at least until I trusted the waiter and placed my order with a vin santo to wash it down.

It arrived and as classically true to Italian sweets, it was a simple cake and presented on a ceramic dish with a sprig of rosemary along the side. I thought to myself, this is fairly non-descript but I sliced through it with my fork and in went the first bite (I honestly wasn’t expecting much) and then came the myriad of flavors, olive oil, orange, and almond. The simplicity of the preparation allowed all those familiar pairings to come together perfectly. I followed it up with a sip of the divine vin santo and just allowed my senses to dance. It was a beautiful surprise and one that lingered with me throughout my vacation.

Because of that first encounter, I often make olive oil cake and recently came across this recipe of almond olive oil cake with brown butter glaze and KNEW I needed to experiment. The end product delivered and met my expectation of divinity….and best of all my mouth got to dance again just like that first evening we met back in Italy.

5.0 from 1 reviews
Almond Olive Oil Cake with Brown Butter Glaze
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • Almond Olive Oil Cake:
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup almond meal
  • 1½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ tsp almond extract
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • ½ cup milk or orange juice
  • zest of one orange
  • Brown Butter Glaze:
  • 2 T unsalted butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 T milk
  • few drops of lemon juice
  • ½ cup honey glazed almond sliced or blanched sliced almonds
Instructions
  1. Prepare Cake:
  2. Preheat oven to 350
  3. Grease and flour a 8 inch cake pan or springform pan
  4. In a bowl, mix together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and salt
  5. In a mixer, put in eggs and sugar and mix well. Pour in the olive oil and mix until combined and add milk (or orange juice), zest, and both extracts.
  6. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, until combined.
  7. Pour cake batter into cake pan and bake for 30-40 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean)
  8. Allow cake to cool on rack for 10 minutes before taking out of pan and then allow to cool completely
  9. Brown Butter Glaze:
  10. Heat butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Cook butter, until it is golden brown in color. Remove from heat immediately (it will continue to darken), set aside and cool to room temperature
  11. In a separate bowl, mix together powdered sugar and milk. Add cooled butter and lemon and stir. Stir in almonds.
  12. Place rack over lined baking sheet and pour and spread glaze evenly on top allowing it to drizzle over the side. Let glaze set before serving

Almond Olive Oil Cake with Brown Butter Glaze

Lemon, Ricotta and Almond Flourless Cake

by

IMG_4143

This is just one of those cakes that you can keep stashed at a continuum, the perfect balance of lemon, almond, and raw sugar. All to satisfy that mid-afternoon or late evening sweet tooth attack. Another awesome addition (if it’s a concern) it’s gluten-free. To me, that’s a free pass to “GO” for a second helping!

I stumbled across this recipe from Cakelets and Doilies (www.cakeletsanddoilies) while looking for inspiration to re-create a recipe my Italian great aunt used to make every summer during my childhood on our annual visits.

I fondly remember those trips and the family gathering at her modest home where she lived with my grandpa, her brother. Its one of those great little houses, yellow with a white picket fence, front porch, big backyard with a garden, and a basement. The basement was my grandpas “man cave” where he brewed wine and grappa but I’ll leave that venture for another post!

The inside was decorated with religious pictures and favorite saints and the doors were sliding accordion-style screens. The color was simple and the furniture was covered in fabrics of various patterns. She always had bowl after bowl of licorice candies with chewy coatings, the penny ones, pretty colors and all different sizes and shapes but in the middle was black licorice, my favorite.

There was always one evening where she invited the entire Italian side of my mom’s family to dinner and prayed for no rain; so thankful for those houseful of saints, I’m sure they pulled some extra weight when asking for the favor. There had to be 30+ of us and if we were to be forced inside, it would be similar to the game “how many people can you fit in your VW bug”? Yeah, you remember the one and some of them I didn’t feel like getting so “up close and personal” if you know what I mean.

The meal was always the same, homemade Italian red rice with meat sauce, roasted chicken, homemade bread, salad, and desserts. There were always 2 store bought cakes, a chocolate and a white with gooey Crisco frosting (a super artery clogger but a LOVE when you’re a kid) and then the lemon ricotta cake from her childhood. I always ate the frosting from the store bought cakes to not hurt her feelings but I was smart enough to hold out and be first in line for the homemade lemon wonder.

I still think my favorite part (other than the cake) was bolting through the front door to be met with the intense aroma of the red meat sauce that filled the air and brought me comfort and satisfaction immediately. Imagine waiting 365 days each year for the initial hit…now that’s a food addict.

It usually took her 2 days to make the dinner and we ate it in 2 minutes. Now I personally understand what a complement to a cook that really is, no wonder she never changed the menu.

So here’s to my Aunt Mary, I’m sure there was some different “secret ingredients” but this is as close to perfect as I remember. Hope you’re smiling from above….

Lemon, Ricotta and Almond Flourless Cake
 
Print
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This is great the next day, after it’s completely chilled, and the flavor and texture seems to get better with time. Serve it with a glass of Vin Santo or Moscato.
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 8
Ingredients
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
  • 1⅓ cups cane sugar
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped
  • ¼ cup lemon zest
  • 4 eggs, separated and at room temperature
  • 2½ cups almond meal
  • 10½ oz fresh ricotta
  • Flaked almonds, to decorated
  • Icing sugar, for dusting
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the base and sides of a 9 inch round springform pan with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. Place the butter, 1 cup cane sugar, vanilla seeds and lemon zest in an electric mixer and beat for 8-10 minutes or until pale and creamy. Scrap down the sides of the bowl, then gradually add the egg yolks, one at a time, continuing to beat until fully combined. Add the almond meal and beat to combine. Fold ricotta through the almond meal mixture.
  3. Beat the egg whites in a clean bowl with a hand-held electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining sugar to the egg whites mixture and whisk until stiff peaks form. Gently fold a third of the egg whites into the cake mixture. Repeat with the rest of the egg whites.
  4. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake tin, smooth the tops with a palette knife, decorate the cake with almond flakes, and bake for 45-50 minutes or until cooked and firm to touch. Allow to cool completely in the cake tin. Dust with icing sugar to serve.