Italian dessert

I was hunting for something quick and easy to make before we set off for Manchester to see the Revolution track cycling series. I bought the River Cafe Pocket Books: Puddings, Cakes and Ice Creams book quite a while ago but haven't made much out of it. The recipes I have tried have always been easy and tasty so I turned to it for inspiration. I came across a recipe for a torta caprese that had only a few ingredients in it and sounded quite quick and simple. The recipe calls for 100% cocoa solid chocolate which I couldn't get at short notice so I used 85% instead. The finished cake was moist and delicious and well worth hunting down the 100% chocolate to try it again. Some of the places that do it are Selfridges, Ocado and the chocolate trading company.

Ingredients (serves 8 )

• 225g softened unsalted butter


• 225g sugar


• 6 large eggs, separated


• 225g almonds coarsely ground


• 225 100% Chocolate, coarsely ground in a food processor

Butter and line the base of a deep 25cm cake tin and preheat your oven to 150 degrees centigrade. 

Beat together butter and sugar in a electric mixer until it has become pale in colour. This should take about five minutes or so. Drop in the egg yolks one at a time and beat in after each addition. Then tip in the almonds and the chocolate and mix together.

Beat the egg whites in another bowl until soft peaks form. Take about two or three tablespoons of the egg whites and gently mix through the stiff chocolate mixture with a metal spoon to slacken it a little. Add this to the rest of the egg whites and gently incorporate. 

Tip the mixture into the tin and level with the back of a spoon. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow to cool slightly in the tin before turning onto a cooling rack.