Lemon capri cake

Do you like the sweet taste of white chocolate? Do you like the rich taste of almonds? Do you like the refreshing taste of lemon? Are you gonna love me for ever and ever?  I do...I do...I do...I will.

Torta Caprese or Capri Cake traditionally uses a lot of chocolate (white or dark), a lot of almonds, eggs and butter. This is not a light cake. A small piece is very satisfying. It's rich in texture and taste. Lemon Capri Cake is very moist and sweet. With a little crunch from the almond meal and the smoothness of chocolate. 

It's the fist time I've used white chocolate as one of the main ingredients in a recipe. I always have some in my drawer, together with the dark one. I figured, I don't like the dark one so much and the white one is...just white, so I won't be tempted to devour either one of the two.

The cake was supposed to be a lot more lemony, but I decided against adding the artificial flavoring and I didn't have limoncello. I'll have to get some the next time I'm in Italy. I added zest from 3 lemons. 5 would have been OK too. 

I was planning on taking the cake to some friends of my sister the other day, but the whole thing got cancelled, after I made the torta. Too bad for the friends and my sister...Because you can not not enjoy this dessert. Maybe next time.

Recipe adapted from Giallo Zafferano
time: 30 min preparation + 1 hr baking = 1hr 30 min

ingredients

• 200 g (7 oz) almonds with no skins. I used some almond meal, some almond flakes.
• 200 g (7 oz) white chocolate
• 200 g (1 cup) sugar
• 5 eggs
• 150 g (1 1/4 sticks) butter, melted
• 50 g (1/3 cup + 1 Tablespoon) potato starch
• 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder
• zest from 3 - 5 lemons
• juice from 1 lemon
• 25 ml (4 teaspoons) vodka
• powder sugar

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 170C/340F (static function). Butter and line with a parchment paper (sides and bottom) a round 24-26 cm (11-12 inch) baking form. 
2. Melt butter. Let it cool a bit.
3. Using a big knife, cut (or slice) chocolate in thin, small pieces.
4. Using a food processor with a steel blade, blend almonds with 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar, till fine, like an almond meal. 
5. Transfer it to a medium bowl. Add chocolate pieces, lemon zest, potato starch, baking powder. Mix it all with a wooden spoon. Add melted butter, juice from 1 lemon and vodka. Combine it.
6. In a bowl of a standing mixer, using a whisk attachment on high speed, beat eggs with 100 g (1/2 cup) sugar, for 10-12 minutes, till all foamy and at least tripled in volume. 
7. Transfer the almond/chocolate mix into the beaten eggs. Using a rubber spatula, slowly and gently fold in the eggs into the mix, working from bottom to top. Don't over mix it, 30 moves should be enough. 
8. Pour the batter into the prepared form. Place it in the hot oven for about 1 hour. During the last 15 minutes, I covered the cake with aluminum foil and switched oven to the bottom grill only (fan forced). Baking was a little tricky. The top was ready, before the bottom. But it didn't get dry from the extra time in the oven.