Torta Caprese with amaretto cream

Name: Torta Caprese with amaretto cream
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 200 g butter, plus extra for buttering the cake tin; 100 g blanched whole almonds; 200 g 70% cocoa dark chocolate, broken into pieces; 4 British Blacktail Free Range Large Eggs, separated; 150 g caster sugar; ½ tbsp cocoa powder, plus more for dusting (or you can use icing sugar); 3 tbsp toasted flaked almonds; 300 ml double cream; 2 tbsp light brown soft sugar; 2 tbsp Disaronno

Diana Henry creates a traditional cake named after the Italian island of Capri.

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Vegetarian

Serves8
CourseDessert
Prepare15 mins
Cook35 mins
Total time50 mins
Pluscooling

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200g butter, plus extra for buttering the cake tin
2 x 100g blanched whole almonds
200g 70% cocoa dark chocolate, broken into pieces
4 British Blacktail Free Range Large Eggs, separated
150g caster sugar
½ tbsp cocoa powder, plus more for dusting (or you can use icing sugar)
3 tbsp toasted flaked almonds
300ml double cream
2 tbsp light brown soft sugar
2 tbsp Disaronno

Preheat the oven to 180ºC, gas mark 4. Butter a 22-23cm springform cake tin, then line the base with baking parchment.
Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat. Toss them around every so often. If I do this in the oven, I forget about them so I toast them in a pan on the hob. Leave to cool, then blitz in a food processor in short spurts – if you over process the nuts they become oily.
Put the butter and chocolate in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water. The bottom of the bowl must not touch the water. It’s easy for the chocolate to get too hot. Melt together, stirring with a wooden spoon to help it along. Remove the bowl and set aside to cool.
In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks and caster sugar until pale and increased in volume. Slowly add the melted chocolate and butter, a pinch of salt and the cocoa powder
Beat the whites in another scrupulously clean large bowl until at medium peak stage. The egg whites should hold their shape but, when you hold the beaters up, the peaks should slightly droop. Using a large metal spoon, fold the almonds into the cake with ½ the whites, followed by the other ½.
Scrape the batter into the tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, until coming away from the sides of the tin. To test for doneness, push a skewer into the middle of the cake. It should be almost clean when it comes out, but this cake stays soft in the middle so is harder to gauge.
Leave to cool for 15 minutes, then unclasp the ring on the tin. Leave the cake on the base to cool completely. Carefully turn the cake over and remove the base and paper. Transfer to a serving plate. The cake will deflate, but that’s normal. Sift cocoa powder or icing sugar over the top. Scatter with the toasted almond flakes.
Whip the cream until holding its shape, then beat in the soft sugar. Slowly add the amaretto, whisking on low speed. Taste so you don’t add more than you need. Serve with the torta.

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