Torta Caprese (Almond Flour Chocolate Cake)
Torta Caprese, a classic Italian flourless chocolate cake, is a decadent and rich dessert made with almond flour, dark chocolate, and eggs. This refined sugar-free and dairy-free version is just as delicious and easy to make as the original!
Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 6 ounces dark chocolate (60 to 85% cacao) finely chopped
- ¾ cup refined coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs separated
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar or 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¾ cup coconut sugar or maple sugar
- 1½ cups finely ground almond flour
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- keto confectioners sugar optional
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 325°F with the rack in the middle. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with avocado oil spray or coconut oil. Add a parchment paper cake round on the bottom if desired.
- Place the chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave-safe bowl and cook on high in the microwave for 1 minute. Stir, then continue nuking in 30 second intervals, until completely melted. You can also melt the chocolate and oil in a double boiler. Whisk the vanilla extract into the melted chocolate and set aside.
- Grab your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip the room temperature egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy. Then, increase the speed to medium-high and beat the egg whites until they’re fluffy and stiff peaks form. Transfer the beaten whites from the stand mixer bowl to a large bowl.
- Plop the egg yolks and the coconut sugar into the empty mixer bowl and whip on medium-high speed until uniform and light brown, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. You should notice a distinct color change from dark brown to light as air is whipped into the yolks!
- Pour the chocolate mixture into the beaten yolks and mix on medium speed until just incorporated. Use a spatula to scrape the sides as needed.
- Add the almond flour and kosher salt and mix the batter until uniform, about 30 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and mix a few times using a large silicone spatula to make sure all the almond flour is mixed in. The batter will be very thick and stiff at this point.
- Using a large silicone spatula, fold in ⅓ of the whipped whites to lighten the batter. Once the egg whites are mixed in, it’s easier to carefully fold in the rest of the whipped egg whites. Next, gently fold in the remaining whites into the batter—cutting down the center and sweeping up the sides—until no streaks of white remain. Don’t mix in the whites too vigorously or the resulting cake will be very dense.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared springform pan, and use an offset spatula to smooth the top.
- Pop the chocolate almond flour cake in the oven and bake for about 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached (no wet batter!).
- Transfer the cake to a cooling rack and cool in the pan for about 30 minutes. Then, pop off the sides of the springform pan and cool the cake completely on the wire rack.
- To keep things (relatively) low carb, you can dust the top of cake with keto confectioners’ sugar, if desired. Then, slice and eat!
Video
Notes
- It's best to use a scale to measure out the dry ingredients. The coconut oil, dark chocolate, coconut sugar, and almond flour are all 6 ounces (170 grams) each. This is the scale I recommend.
- Pick a dark chocolate bar you love to eat! The optimal amount of cacao is 70%, but anywhere from 60% to 85% will work.
- Make ahead instructions: Cool the cake completely, wrap it in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Take the cake out of the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 28g | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 15g