The lemon torta caprese is the “white” variant of the classic chocolate torta caprese, a typical Italian dessert of the splendid island of Capri: a naturally gluten-free cake since it is flourless and is prepared with finely ground almonds. In the recipe for the lemon torta caprese, the strong flavor of dark chocolate is replaced by the more delicate and sweeter one of white chocolate and by the fresh and fragrant note of lemon, of which Capri and the whole area of the Amalfi coast are extraordinary producers.
The white torta caprese keeps the soft and slightly moist texture of the chocolate one unchanged, which makes it perfect to be served with tea or as a dessert after a meal. The lemon torta caprese is quite simple to prepare: just take care to mix the eggs with the sugar properly, so that the dough is swollen and frothy. If you have never tasted lemon torta caprese, you will be pleasantly surprised by its delicate flavor and irresistible texture!
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Ingredients for a 9-inch (23 cm) diameter lemon torta caprese
If you are gluten intolerant, check that white chocolate chips, potato starch, baking powder, lemoncello and icing sugar have the words “gluten-free” on the label.
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How to prepare white chocolate and lemon torta caprese
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To prepare the lemon torta caprese, start by placing the almonds in a food processor together with about half of the sugar required by the recipe. Chop them very finely.
In this way the sugar will absorb part of the oil that the almonds could release. Put it all in a bowl. Put the white chocolate drops in the food processor.
Also chop them quite finely and add them to the chopped almonds. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat and pour it into the bowl.
Mix and also add the potato starch (or corn starch) and the baking powder. Grate the zest of 1 lemon – without affecting the white part which would be bitter – and squeeze out the juice; add the juice of another half lemon.
Add the lemon juice and zest to the bowl together with the limoncello (optional). Mix thoroughly.
In another bowl, shell the eggs and add a pinch of salt and the other half of the remaining sugar. Whip them with an electric whisk for about ten minutes, until they are swollen and frothy.
For this purpose, it is good that the eggs are not as cold as when they were just taken out of the fridge, but must be at room temperature.
Then add them little by little to the other ingredients, mixing slowly from bottom to top with a spatula, so as not to deflate them.
When you have mixed them you will obtain a fluid and homogeneous mixture. Line a 9-inch (23 cm) diameter pan with parchment paper. Pour the mixture and level it well with the back of a spoon.
Bake the lemon torta caprese caprese in the preheated static oven at 338° F (170° C) for 50-55 minutes; after 30 minutes, if the surface already seems golden brown, you can cover the caprese with a sheet of aluminum foil, so that it doesn’t get too dark.
Take it out of the oven and let it cool completely before removing it from the pan. Serve the lemon torta caprese sprinkled with icing sugar at the end of a meal, at breakfast or with afternoon tea.
How to store the white chocolate torta caprese
You can keep the lemon torta caprese at room temperature for about 3 days.