Chocolate Caprese Cake (Gluten-free)
I can give up many things in my life but never chocolate. There’s no way around it.
Call it an addiction, call it a craving. It’s my reality, I just can’t ignore the voice in my head screaming for chocolate.
Luckily, I have a solution. My mantra when it comes to chocolate is “just a little bit”.
Whenever I get the craving for chocolate, the only reasonable thing to do is to go ahead and have my chocolate fix, with moderation.
Now, let me just say that “chocolate fix” is not “cheating”. The word “cheat” doesn’t sit well with me because it implies I’m doing something wrong and that I’m veering off course. I’m definitely not.
Chocolate is a good thing, and I believe it’s something we’re all entitled to, as long as there are boundaries.
One of my favorite ways to indulge in chocolate and get my “chocolate fix” is having a big slice of a flourless chocolate cake such as this Chocolate Caprese Cake.
This authentic Italian treat (from the island of Capri) is one of the most amazing chocolate cakes you’ll ever try — and I like to consider myself sort of an expert when it comes to chocolate cakes.
It’s a rich, decadent, dense chocolate cake containing only a handful of ingredients: Almonds, chocolate, butter, sugar, and eggs.
And it’s super simple to make.
The cake has a thin hard shell covering a moist, almost fudgy, interior. The finely ground almonds (almond flour) give it a nice flavor and bite.
Sometimes you just want a slice of chocolate cake; those times deserve a delicious cake like this.
Chocolate Caprese Cake (Gluten-free) Print this recipe!
A couple of notes. The almonds (or almond meal), chocolate, and sugar should be equal in weight. So this is the time to get out the digital scale, as it makes not only preparing this but also remembering it later so easy. In addition, don’t bake it too long — the cake should be moist, almost fudgy, inside.
Ingredients
Serves 8
4.4 oz / 125 gr blanched almonds (or almond meal)
4.4 oz / 125 gr dark chocolate, roughly chopped
4.4 oz / 125 gr sugar (I used coconut sugar)
5.3 oz / 150 gr butter, at room temperature
3 eggs, separated
Directions
Preheat oven to 320°F (160°C) and place a rack in the middle.
Lightly grease the bottom and the sides of an 8-inch springform cake pan and line the pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
Place blanched almonds in the bowl of a food processor and pulse them to a very fine, sandy texture. Set aside.
Place chopped chocolate in a large heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pot of barely simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the boiling water. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted.
When melted, remove the bowl from the heat and add butter. Stir until completely melted.
Add sugar and almond meal and stir until combined.
Once the mixture is no longer hot, add egg yolks and stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg white until soft, fluffy peaks form.
With the help of a spatula, gently fold in egg whites into the chocolate batter.
Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Make sure not to over bake the cake, it should have a moist consistency.
Let cool completely on a rack before removing from the pan.
Dust with powdered sugar (used this recipe to make powdered coconut sugar) and serve.
This cake keeps well for several days and it’s definitely better the next day.
Nutrition facts
One serving yields 269 calories, 22 grams of fat, 14 grams of carbs, and 5 grams of protein.
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