CHOCOLATE & HAZELNUT TORTA CAPRESE
Indulge in the decadence of Italy with this Torta Caprese! A flourless cake with rich chocolate, roasted hazelnuts, and a hint of liqueur. Enjoy with creamy mascarpone and decadent red-wine roasted strawberries. A sophisticated and luxurious dessert experience.
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 180 g dark 70% chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 cup light olive oil** (or use a flavourless cooking oil instead)
- 1 tbsp Galliano or Frangelico
- 4 eggs (at room temperature, separated)
- 1 cup caster sugar
- 21/2 cups hazelnut meal*
- 3 tsp good-quality cocoa, to dust
- Mascarpone, to serve
For the red-wine roasted strawberries
- 500 g strawberries, hulled
- 1/3 cup caster sugar
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 vanilla bean,split, seeds scraped
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F). Grease a 20cm springform cake pan and line the base and side with baking paper.
- Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water, stirring occasionally (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water).
- Stir in olive oil and liqueur, then set aside to cool.
- Place egg yolks and sugar in a stand mixer with paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until pale and creamy. Reduce speed to low and beat in hazelnut meal, then chocolate mixture. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Place egg whites and a pinch of salt flakes in the cleaned mixer bowl. Using the whisk attachment, whisk egg whites to stiff peaks.
- Using the paddle attachment and on low speed, add chocolate mixture and beat until just combined. The mixture will be firm so mix slowly (I actually added in a good dollop of the egg whites to the chocolate mixture first to slacken the mixture first before slowly beating in the remainder of the whites as per the recipe).
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake for 45-50 minutes or until top is slightly cracked and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out with moist crumbs attached. It should have a slight wobble.
- Remove from oven and cool in pan for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
For the red-wine roasted strawberries:
- For roasted strawberries, increase oven to 180°C.
- Place strawberries in a large bowl, add sugar and red wine. Add vanilla pod and seeds.
- Place mixture into a baking dish. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until strawberries are soft, then cool to room temperature.
To assemble the cake:
- Dust cake with cocoa powder. Serve with mascarpone and strawberries and drizzle over with the strawberry juice.
Notes
*If you can’t source hazelnut meal, buy raw hazelnuts and make the meal yourself. Simply roast the nuts at 160 Celsius (320F) for 10-12 minutes, let cool, then process the nuts, skin and all, until it resembles a coarse meal (don’t take it too far or it will become a nut butter).
**Light olive oil is flavourless – don’t use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as this is too strongly flavoured. As a substitute, use a flavourless vegetable oil instead.
**Light olive oil is flavourless – don’t use Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as this is too strongly flavoured. As a substitute, use a flavourless vegetable oil instead.
Nutrition
Calories: 1370kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 25gFat: 114gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 34mgPotassium: 136mgFiber: 19gSugar: 50gVitamin A: 126IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 229mgIron: 8mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how if you liked it in the comments below!