Lemon Torta Caprese
Category
Dessert
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
40 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4cup unsalted butter)
- 6 ounces white chocolate (chopped)
- 5 eggs (divided)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour
- 1/4 cup lemon juice (from 2 lemons)
- 4 teaspoons lemon zest (from 4 lemons)
Instructions
- This recipe originated on an episode of Giada Entertains. Episode: Baby Shower Brunch.
- Place the butter and chocolate in the top of a double boiler and melt until smooth. Cool slightly until just warm to the touch.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter the inside of a 9 inch spring form pan (a pan with a detachable bottom disc).
- Place the egg whites in a medium bowl with the salt. Place the yolks in a slightly larger bowl with the sugar. Using a handheld mixer beat the whites on medium speed until stiff peaks form, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixer to the yolk bowl and beat on medium speed until light, pale and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir the chocolate mixture, almond flour, lemon juice and lemon zest into the yolks. In 2 batches, fold the whipped whites into the chocolate base. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes or until puffed, golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Cool completely on a wire rack. When cool, run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to release the cake. Remove the outside ring and dust the top with confectioners sugar. Serve with soft whipped cream if desired.
19 comments
how many grams of almond flour is that? I’ve made this cake before using different recipes that usually call for a lot more almond flour (300-340 grams which is around 3 cups – so much more than your recipe and the wet ingrediants amounts are the same). How does reducing the almond flour change the texture of the cake? is it more wet and custard like?
Ciao! 1/2 cups of blanched almond flour is about 150 grams. Reducing the amount of almond flour does make a difference—the cake will have a softer, more tender texture. 🍰✨
I would like to make this lemon torta but can’t do butter. Is there something else I can use to replace the butter? Is yes what and what measurement?
Ciao! You might be able to use vegan butter as a substitute, though we haven’t tested it ourselves. The recipe definitely requires butter or a similar butter equivalent. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out!
I’m truly not sure what I am doing wrong!! I’ve tried twice now to melt the chocolate with the butter…once in a double boiler and once in the microwave and both times just as everything is melted, it completely separates!! I’ve now gone through almost a pound of butter and $18 of very good white chocolate!!!! Is it supposed to do this??? Help!!!
Ciao Michelle! Melting white chocolate can be tricky since it’s much more sensitive than milk or dark chocolate. The microwave usually heats too unevenly and can easily scorch white chocolate, causing it to separate. Here are some tips to help you achieve that smooth, luscious texture for your lemon torta caprese:
-Double boiler method is the best approach. Make sure no water is touching the bottom of the bowl. The steam is enough to gently melt the chocolate. Stir constantly to ensure even heating.
-If you notice the chocolate starting to separate, stir vigorously. This can sometimes bring it back together.
-If it’s still not coming together, try adding a tiny bit of cream (start with just a teaspoon) and mix vigorously. This can help stabilize the mixture and also bring everything back together.
Hopefully, these tips help you get the perfect melt next time!
What if we have a nut allergy in the family? What other flours could be used? Of course you lose the nuttiness flavor, but can’t do any nut based flours
Ciao Mike! Apart from losing the nutty flavor, it won’t have quite the same texture. If you’re looking for a similar recipe but prefer not to use almond flour, we recommend trying our Torta Tenerina (Flourless Choco Cake from Bologna). Enter that in our search bar or copy/paste this address into your browser: https://giadzy.com/blogs/recipes/torta-tenerina-flourless-chocolate-cake-from-bologna
Can you sub cup4cup flour for the almond flour or does it need the texture of the almond flour? Want to make it for Easter.
I would recommend sticking with almond flour – it gives it a very moist texture and nutty flavor that’s pretty essential for the cake!
Ok! Success on the second keto attempt. It was amazing. I subbed sugar free white chocolate bars and Swerve granular (erythritol), and although it was very dark bordering on burned at the edges, it was because of my dark-colored springform pan. I’ll wrap the pan in reflective foil next time to prevent the over-browning. But I took the torta out at 32 minutes, and although the center was soft and wet, after several hours of refrigeration, it was AMAZING. The texture was almost cheesecake-like, and the dark edges mellowed and did not taste burned at all. I topped it with sugar-free whipped cream, Lilly’s white chocolate shavings, and Swerve-candied lemon zest. My keto son and I loved it. My non-keto daughter did not love the erythritol cooling effect, but we’re used to it and kinda like it. If you want to keto-ize this torta, it is very doable! Just increase the erythritol to 1 cup versus the 3/4 cup sugar. I can’t wait to try a keto chocolate version.
I attempted to make a keto version of this torta for my son’s birthday with Lilly’s sugar-free white chocolate chips and a 1-cup mixture of allulose and erythritol sweeteners (which are about 70% as sweet as sugar, hence the increase from the 3/4 cup sugar called for). Lol. Apparently, allulose burns. Quickly. Like in 20 minutes. But the semi-baked cake under the crispy brown crust tasted glorious. I’ll try again with all erythritol. Oh well—lesson learned. I’ll report if I have success next time.
Hi @HR! This should be good the next day as well! Blanched almond flour is a type of flour made from almonds that have had their skins removed! You can find it in grocery stores or online specialty food stores. No need to pour hot water over it :) Hope this helps!
Will this be as good if made the day before?
It says “blanched” almond flour. Can you please elaborate? Do I pour boiling water over it?
Thank you!
This is an absolute home run!! Easy to make a very tasty healthy dessert!! My Family requests it for family gatherings! Thank You 🙏
Has anyone tried to make this with aquafaba instead of eggs?
I made this for a birthday brunch. I wanted something light and gluten free. Super easy and delicious. You can taste the white chocolate and lemon but it's not overpowering. I added a little extra lemon juice and a little extra almond flour. It rose quite a bit in the oven and I ended up leaving it in a bit longer. It was a deep golden brown but very moist on the inside. It didn't retain all of the height as it cooled, but still ended up as pictured on this site. The whipped cream is the perfect complement to the cake. The white chocolate and butter didn't blend well when I was melting them. The white chocolate sank to the bottom and was an odd consistency. The butter was liquid and sat on the top. Both were fresh and good quality. I combined them with an electic mixer after they cooled a bit (probably not necessary). Anyway, it was all fine when everything was combined in the end.
I have a question. I made this earlier and accidentally burned it while trying to cook the centre through.? I tried again this evening and lowered the temperature but while the outside is a nice color, the inside is still wet. Did I do something wrong? I followed the recipe exactly.
This is fabulous! I made it last night for fun and was in the mood for something lemon. Decorated with fresh whipped cream, lemon zest and pansy flowers in purple and yellow and delivered to our friends. It was a hit! We will be making this one again and again. Easy recipe and we didn't change a thing. We recommend you try this!