a Flourless Chocolate & Hazelnut Cake to make ahead
A rich chocolate cake that can be made the day before and actually tastes better for it is exactly our sort of dessert. This Torta Caprese from Dara Klein’s La Trattoria is her hazelnut take on the Italian classic, inspired by the torta gianduia her mother used to make.
Instead of the ground almonds traditionally used in Torta Caprese, toasted hazelnuts are blitzed and folded through dark chocolate, butter and brown sugar. The result is flourless, rich and nutty, with Dara recommending an overnight rest before serving.
Warm individual slices for a few minutes to make them gooey again, then add whipped cream and Amarena cherries, crème fraîche or fresh berries.
Serves: 8 | Bake: 40 minutes + overnight resting
Ingredients
170g hazelnuts, preferably skinless
170g unsalted butter
170g good-quality 70% chocolate
170g light brown sugar
4 eggs, separated
1½ tbsp Marsala, amaretto, Disaronno or rum, optional
Sea salt
To serve
Icing sugar or cocoa powder
Whipped cream, mascarpone or crème fraîche
Amarena cherries in syrup, fresh raspberries or strawberries
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Grease and line a 20cm round spring-form cake tin with baking paper.
Toast the hazelnuts in the oven for around 11 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. If the hazelnuts still have their skins on, place inside a clean tea towel and rub vigorously to remove the skins.
Blitz the hazelnuts to a fine sandy texture. Stop if they start to clump or you’ll end up with nut butter. Conversely, ensure the hazelnuts aren’t too coarse as this will result in a very crumbly cake.
Place the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water and allow to melt. Ensure the heat isn’t too high and the water isn’t touching the bowl or the chocolate might burn. Stir occasionally to incorporate.
Once the chocolate has melted, remove from the heat and add the ground hazelnuts, sugar and 2 pinches of salt. Stir to combine. Allow the batter to cool slightly, then add the egg yolks and booze, if using, and whisk to combine.
In a separate bowl, whip the egg whites to soft peaks. Fold the egg whites through the chocolate batter in thirds.
Pour the batter into your prepared cake tin and smooth the top with a spatula or palette knife. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool at room temperature. This cake benefits from an overnight rest. Dara recommends refrigerating it overnight before turning it out and slicing.
To serve, flash bake individual slices in the oven at 180°C for a few minutes so that the cake warms through and becomes gooey.
Traditionally, Torta Caprese is finished with icing sugar, but Dara prefers good-quality cocoa powder. Serve on its own or with Amarena cherries and whipped cream or crème fraîche. Mascarpone laced with espresso or fresh seasonal berries work well too.
La Trattoria by Dara Klein
Dara Klein is a London-based chef specialising in rustic Italian cooking. After growing up around her parents’ trattoria, Maria Pia’s, in Wellington, New Zealand, she went on to work in London restaurants including Rovi, Rubedo, Brawn, Trullo and Sager & Wilde, before opening Tiella at The Compton Arms.
In La Trattoria, Dara draws on her Italian heritage, restaurant experience and the food she grew up eating to celebrate generous, unfussy Italian cooking. Inspired by the traditions of Puglia and la cucina povera, the book combines approachable recipes with practical techniques and stories from a life spent in restaurants.