When you think of Caprese, you likely envision a fresh and vibrant salad made with tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, and basil leaves. But have you ever considered transforming these flavors into a sweet and indulgent dessert? Enter the Caprese Cake, a delightful creation that combines the essence of the traditional Caprese salad with the richness of a moist chocolate cake.
During my extensive travels across Italy, I had encountered numerous continental breakfast buffets featuring various cakes. However, I must admit that most of them left me unimpressed, often being dry and lackluster, hardly justifying the calorie intake. That was until I stumbled upon the Caprese cake at the enchanting Castello di Guarene.
This remarkable dessert took me by surprise with its richness, moisture, and pure decadence. This flourless dark chocolate cake is a delight on its own, but it reaches new heights when paired with a drizzle of velvety chocolate ganache, a dollop of luscious crème anglaise, or better yet, both—I certainly couldn’t resist trying all the options! However, my personal favorite is generously topping it off with a portion of mascarpone whipped cream. Even my discerning granddaughter gave this cake her enthusiastic seal of approval, and that speaks volumes! Enjoy!
-MBK
Caprese Cake
Ingredients
- 375 grams butter softened but still cool
- 150 grams caster sugar
- 1 gram fine salt
- 200 grams egg yolk approx. 12 egg yolks, room temp
- 300 grams egg white approx. 12 egg whites, room temp
- 150 grams caster sugar
- 375 grams chocolate Guittard, Akoma Extra Semisweet 55% Cacao, my favorite
- 450 grams almond flour
- 60 grams potato starch
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Lightly grease two 9” square cake pans and line with parchment.
- Melt chocolate and set aside to cool to room temperature.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, potato flour and salt. Set aside.
- With the whisk attachment, whip the butter and 150 grams sugar at medium speed until the mixture is light and has lightened in color. Add cooled melted chocolate and mix well. Turn mixer down to low speed and add yolks 1 – 2 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stopping to scrape down bowl as needed.
- Stir in almond flour mixture until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until frothy and soft peaks begin to form. Begin to add 150 grams of sugar one tablespoon at a time and continue to beat until stiff peaks form being careful not to over whip, the whites should be glossy.
- Using a large spatula, gently fold one fourth of the egg white mixture into the chocolate mixture. Continue to fold in the remaining egg whites; the batter will be much lighter.
- Bake at 325° for 30-35 min. Do not open the oven door during cooking as the cake could possibly collapse.
- When the cake is done, remove from the oven and run a knife around the edges. Let the cake cool completely before removing from pan. Serve with a dollop of Mascarpone Cream.
Mascarpone Cream
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream cold
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese soft but still chilled
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer combine heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla extract.
- Whip until soft peaks form.
- Add mascarpone cheese and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.