Lemon Caprese Cake

The Lemon Caprese Cake is a variant of the classic chocolate and almond cake, originating from the island of Capri. This cake is always flourless, rich and soft, but with the addition of lemon it becomes even fresher and more fragrant, ideal for the spring or summer season. Here’s how to make Lemon Caprese Cake.

Ingredients

• 200 g peeled almonds
• 200 g sugar
• 100 g butter
• 4 eggs
• Grated zest of 2 lemons
• 1 pinch of salt
• Powdered sugar (for decorating)
• Butter and almond flour (or breadcrumbs) for the pan

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C and prepare a 22 cm springform pan by buttering it and lining the bottom with a little almond flour or breadcrumbs.
2. Finely chop the almonds in a food processor until you obtain a flour that is not too fine, to maintain some texture.
3. In a bowl, cream the softened butter with the sugar until you obtain a creamy and fluffy mixture.
4. Add the eggs one at a time, incorporating each one well into the mixture before adding the next.
5. Add the grated lemon zest and mix well.
6. Gently fold in the almond flour and a pinch of salt, mixing with a spatula or wooden spoon using upward motions to avoid deflating the mixture.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 30-40 minutes. The cake is ready when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
8. Let the lemon Caprese cake cool in the pan before carefully removing it.
9. Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar to decorate.

Trivia

The Caprese Cake is one of those desserts whose creation is linked to a mistake: it is said to have been invented in the 1930s when a pastry chef forgot to add flour to his chocolate cake. This resulted in an incredibly moist and dense cake that quickly became popular.

To make a more fragrant Lemon Caprese Cake, you can also add a tablespoon of limoncello to the batter, if you have this typical liqueur from the Amalfi Coast on hand. Enjoy your meal!