Chocolate Torta Caprese with Espresso Candied Pistachios & Marsala Chantilly Recipe (GF)
I was introduced to Torta Caprese on the Amalfi Coast, in Positano. Torta Caprese originates from the island of Capri, and is naturally gluten-free — made with almond flour. Our hotel's breakfast spread had a slew of desserts laid out every morning — which is exactly why breakfast in Italy is amazing — and one of them was a chocolate cake unlike any chocolate cake I had ever had before. It was rich, dense, chewy, and crunchy on top, but somehow not as heavy as a lot of chocolate cakes can be. It instantly became my favorite chocolate cake of all time. It's also got a lot in common with a brownie, and honestly, how could you not love that.
That cake brings me right back to Positano every time — to my favorite place, and to all the wonderful memories.
The flavor inspiration for this version came from somewhere completely different: a chocolate biscotti and Marsala zabaglione I made at work. The combination of chocolate and Marsala absolutely blew me away. Think about a really good caramel sauce, and how Marsala brings that same kind of depth — it's almost like caramel and espresso had a baby. I love it.
And anyone who knows me knows I'm pistachio obsessed, so it was only a matter of time before pistachios found their way into this recipe too (rest assured, more pistachio recipes are coming soon).
This cake is light while still being rich, somehow all at once. The textures are incredible. And whatever you do — please do not skip making the Marsala chantilly.
チョコレートトルタ エスプレッソ、ピスタチオキャンディ、マルサラ風味のシャンティクリーム添え（グルテンフリー）
recipe by victoria casella
Meet the Ingredients
Marsala — a fortified wine made in Sicily, traditionally produced from white grapes. To "fortify" the marsala wine is to usually add brandy to it, which raises the alcohol content and stops fermentation. It comes in two main styles: sweet and dry. Sweet Marsala has a deep, raisin-like, caramelized flavor and is the more common choice in desserts. Dry Marsala is less sweet but still rich and nutty, often used in savory cooking (like the classic chicken Marsala) but works beautifully in desserts too if you want a slightly less sweet, more complex result. I used sweet Marsala in this chantilly, but dry works just as well — it simply shifts the flavor to be a touch more restrained.
White Miso — a fermented paste made from soybeans and koji, which is mold-inoculated rice that drives the fermentation process. Miso comes in three main varieties — white, yellow, and red — determined by how long they are fermented. White miso is fermented for the shortest time, making it the sweetest and most delicate of the three. While traditionally used in savory Japanese cooking, white miso works beautifully in baking and desserts, adding a subtle depth that makes every other flavor taste more like itself. Originating in northern Japan, where the rice fields were, miso has been a cornerstone of Japanese culture for centuries — soldiers were fed miso soup because it was a quick and efficient source of nutrients and protein. Today miso is celebrated for its health benefits: it is rich in probiotics, protein, vitamins, and minerals. In this recipe it replaces salt entirely, and gives the recipe umami!
Nutmeg — a warm baking spice that, in small amounts, works similarly to coffee and salt: it doesn't read as "nutmeg" in the final cake, but it enhances and rounds out the chocolate flavor that's already there. Blooming it in the warm melted chocolate and butter helps release its aromatic oils fully before it goes into the batter. Interestingly, nutmeg comes from mace, which is the outer shell surrounding the nutmeg seed — mace is essentially nutmeg on steroids, with a similar flavor profile but more intense.
Ingredients
— 6 large eggs, separated
— 1 cup granulated sugar
— 10 oz bittersweet chocolate, 70% or higher
— 2½ sticks (1¼ cups) European unsalted butter
— 3½ cups superfine almond flour
— 2 tsp white miso paste
— 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
— 2 tsp freshly brewed espresso
— 1 tsp nutmeg
Espresso Candied Pistachios
— 1 cup shelled pistachios, roasted
— 1 egg white
— 1 tsp water
— 1 tbsp finely ground espresso
— ¼ cup brown sugar
— ¼ tsp fine sea salt
— ½ tsp vanilla bean paste
Marsala Chantilly
—4 oz mascarpone
— 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
— 2 tbsp powdered sugar
— 1 cup heavy cream, cold
— 3 tbsp sweet or dry Marsala
To Finish
— Powdered sugar, for dusting
— Crushed espresso candied pistachios
— Gold leaf
Method — 手順
Makes one 9-inch torta, enough to serve 6-8
01. Prep the Pan
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter and line the bottom with a ring of parchment paper. Place the pan on a sheet tray.
02. Separate the Eggs
Separate eggs into two bowls, making sure no yolk gets into the whites — any trace of fat will prevent the whites from whipping properly into a meringue.
03. Whip the Meringue
In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites on low speed. Once foamy bubbles form, slowly add the sugar a little at a time, allowing it to dissolve as you go. Once all the sugar is incorporated, increase speed and whip to stiff peaks.
Set up a double boiler: a saucepan with a couple inches of simmering water, with a heatproof bowl set over the top, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl.
04. Set Up the Double Boiler
05. Melt the Chocolate
Add chocolate, butter, nutmeg, and espresso to the bowl. Melt together, stirring occasionally, until completely smooth.
06. Build the Batter
Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg yolks gradually, whisking constantly so the heat doesn't scramble the eggs. Add white miso and almond flour, whisking until completely smooth.
07. Fold the Meringue
Fold the meringue into the chocolate base in three additions, making sure the chocolate base has cooled slightly first. Fold gently — a few streaks are fine through the first two additions as long as the final fold is fully smooth.
08. Bake
Pour batter into the prepared pan. Bake on the center rack at 350°F for 40-50 minutes, until the top has cracked and gives slightly when gently touched.
09. Cool
Cool completely in the pan before unmolding.
10. Prep the Pistachios
Preheat oven to 250°F.
Whisk egg white, water, brown sugar, finely ground espresso, salt, and vanilla bean paste. Then add pistachios and mix to combine.
11. Coat the Pistachios
Spread in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake on the center rack for 30-35 minutes. Cool completely, then crush for garnish.
12. Bake the Pistachios
13. Make the Chantilly
Whisk mascarpone, vanilla bean paste, and powdered sugar together until smooth. Add cold heavy cream and whip to stiff peaks. Add Marsala and whip briefly just until fully combined.
If you'd prefer to leave the alcohol out, substitute the Marsala 1:1 with freshly brewed espresso.
14. Assemble
Dust the cooled torta lightly with powdered sugar. Add the marsala chantilly in the center. Scatter crushed espresso candied pistachios around and finish with gold leaf.
RECIPE NOTES
Almond flour comes in two main varieties: blanched and unblanched (sometimes called "natural"). Blanched almond flour is made from almonds that have had their skins removed before grinding, resulting in a finer, paler flour. Unblanched almond flour still has the skins ground in, giving it a slightly coarser texture and flecks of brown throughout. For this torta either works perfectly well — the difference is mostly cosmetic.
This cake must be baked in a springform pan — it's the only pan that works here. Most cake batters are too fluid for a springform and will leak out through the seams, but this batter is thick enough that it holds its shape, making the springform ideal for releasing this fragile, delicate cake without disturbing it. Baking it on a sheet tray underneath is an extra safeguard against leaking, and also makes it easier to move the pan in and out of the oven.
Be careful not to overbake this cake. It should come out with a top that has cracked and gives slightly when gently pressed — that slight give tells you the center is still fudgy and moist rather than dry. The contrast between the crackly top and the soft, gooey center is the whole point — it's sometimes described as tasting like an Italian brownie.
When melting chocolate over a double boiler, make sure the simmering water never touches the bottom of the bowl, and keep it at a gentle simmer rather than a full boil. Chocolate is very sensitive to heat — if it gets too hot too quickly it can seize into a hard, grainy mass. Its the gentle steam of the water that melts the chocolate, not being exposed to a direct heat source will not cause it to seize. And be sure no water from the double boiler gets in the chocolate because that too will cause it to seize.
When whipping egg whites into a meringue, make sure absolutely no egg yolk gets into the whites beforehand — even a small trace of fat will prevent the whites from whipping up properly.
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