Torta caprese is a traditional
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
cake made with
chocolate
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...
and either
almonds or
hazelnuts
The hazelnut is the fruit of the hazel tree and therefore includes any of the nuts deriving from species of the genus ''Corylus'', especially the nuts of the species ''Corylus avellana''. They are also known as cobnuts or filberts according ...
. Named for the island of
Capri from which it originates, the cake is widely known and especially popular in nearby
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
, Italy.
With many variations, the core recipe combines softened
butter
Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condimen ...
at
room temperature with
sugar followed by
egg yolks. Once combined, the remaining ingredients are added, including finely minced
almonds,
chocolate
Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...
(melted using a
bain-marie
A bain-marie (; also known as a water bath or double boiler), a type of heated bath, is a piece of equipment used in science, industry, and cooking to heat materials gently or to keep materials warm over a period of time. A bain-marie is also ...
), and whipped
egg whites. After baking, the cake has a moist interior with a thin, hard shell—typically dusted with
powdered sugar
Powdered sugar, also called confectioners' sugar, or icing sugar, is a finely ground sugar produced by milling granulated sugar into a powdered state. It usually contains between 2% and 5% of an anti-caking agent – such as corn starch, p ...
. It is sometimes made with a small amount of
Strega or other liqueur.
History
The origins of Torta caprese are not clear, though it seems likely it was created by the
hospitality industry
The hospitality industry is a broad category of fields within the service industry that includes lodging, food and drink service, event planning, theme parks, travel and tourism. It includes hotels, tourism agencies, restaurants and bars.
Sect ...
of Capri, which catered to tourists.
One background story suggests Caprese cake was created when the King of Naples' Austrian wife requested a
Sacher cake (an Austrian chocolate cake), Neapolitan chefs improvised by using a typical Neopolitan ingredient, almonds. Another unauthenticated story suggests Caprese cake was created in the 1920s when a baker fulfilling a tourist's order for an almond cake, mistakenly forgot to add flour—resulting in a simultaneously soft and crunchy delicacy.
Another account attributes the recipe to two Austrian women who inherited a guest house in Capri's
Marina Piccola
Marina Piccola ("little harbor"; also Marina di Mulo) is located on the southern side of the island of Capri. It is near the Faraglioni sea stacks to the southeast. The Via Krupp is a historic switchback paved footpath which connect the Charterh ...
during the 1930s, the ''Strandpension Weber'', from
Munich
Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
-born August Weber (1846–1928).
Despite the uncertainty surrounding its origins, Caprese tort has been called "uno dei pasticci più fortunati della storia" (one of history's most fortunate mistakes).
See also
*
List of almond dishes
This is a list of almond foods and dishes, which use almond as a primary ingredient. The almond is a species of tree native to the Middle East and South Asia. "Almond" is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of this tree. Within ...
*
List of desserts
A dessert is typically the sweet course that, after the entrée and main course, concludes a meal in the culture of many countries, particularly Western culture. The course usually consists of sweet foods, but may include other items. The word ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Torta Caprese
Italian cakes
Italian pastries
Chocolate desserts
Cuisine of Campania
Capri, Campania
Almond desserts