Torta Caprese (Flourless Chocolate Cake)

Torta Caprese is a traditional Italian cake from the beautiful Island of Capri.
This is a very tasty and special cake because made with almond meal and chocolate, so it could be enjoyed by gluten intolerant people.
The texture is amazingly moist and rich with a delicate twist of Sorrento’s Limoncello.
This cake is also known as one of history’s most fortunate mistakes. In the 1920 an Italian baker was preparing an almond cake for three American gangsters in the Island of Capri, he forgot to put the flour into the dough, but the result was a delicious cake.

Buon Appetito!!!

INGREDIENTS

11 oz almond meal
10 oz dark chocolate
7 oz granulated sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
5 eggs, separated
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 shot of Limoncello
powdered sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven at 350 F degrees.
Grease with butter and flour or baking spray a 9 inch cake pan, set aside.
With a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter and half of the sugar until creamy.
Add the egg yolks (one at the time) and mix until well incorporated.
Melt the chocolate at Bain Marie or in the microwave, allow to cool then fold it into the butter mixture.
Add the vanilla extract, the Limoncello and then the almond meal.
In a different bowl, whip the egg whites with the remain sugar at stiff peaks.
Fold little by little the whipped white eggs into the mixture.
Pour the cake batter into the pan and bake for 45 minutes.                                                Allow the cake cool completely in its pan. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.