Torta Caprese al limone

Lemon Caprese Cake is a variant of the more classic chocolate and almond dessert, originating from the island of Capri. This dessert is always without flour, rich and soft, but with the addition of lemon it becomes even more refreshing and fragrant, ideal for the spring or summer season. Here’s how to prepare the Lemon Caprese Cake.

Ingredients

• 200 g peeled almonds
• 200 g sugar
• 100 g butter
• 4 eggs
• Grated zest of 2 lemons
• 1 pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar (for decoration)
• Butter and almond flour (or breadcrumbs) for the cake mold

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a springform pan about 22 cm in diameter, greasing it and lining the bottom with a little almond flour or breadcrumbs.
2. Finely chop the almonds in a mixer, until you get a flour that is not too fine, to maintain some texture.
3. In a bowl, cream the soft butter with the sugar until you obtain a creamy and fluffy mixture.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating them well into the mixture before adding the next one.
5. Mix in the grated lemon zest and stir well.
6. Gently fold in the almond flour and a pinch of salt, mixing with a spatula or a wooden spoon with movements from the bottom up to not deflate the mixture.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared mold and bake for about 30-40 minutes. The cake is ready when a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Let the lemon Caprese cake cool in the mold before gently removing it.
9. Once cool, dust it with powdered sugar for decoration.

Curiosity

The Caprese Cake is one of those desserts whose creation is linked to a mistake: it is said to have been invented in the 1930s when a pastry chef forgot to add flour to his chocolate cake. This resulted in an incredibly moist and dense cake that quickly became popular.

To make a more fragrant Lemon Caprese Cake, you can also add a tablespoon of limoncello to the batter if you have this typical liqueur from the Amalfi Coast on hand. Enjoy your meal!