Capri is one of the jewels of Italy. Surrounded by the cobalt blue waters of the Mediterranean, the island is so picturesque, that it’s shocking to realize how unknown it is to many people. Given the boot-shaped country has a lot to offer. Against a backdrop of Italy’s famous cities like Rome, Naples, Venice, Milan, and Florence, the tiny island can get lost. Off of the coast of Naples, this island is known as much for its geological and natural beauty as it is for its food. This island is the reason we get the word caprese in many Italian dishes we know of Stateside. This Pistachio Caprese Cake is a spin-off of the classic chocolate caprese cake, using one of Italy’s beloved nuts in a cake that’s rich, molten, fudgy, and decadent.
A cake with the namesake of Capri comes with its fair share of folklore. One story dates this cake back to the 18th century, when the Vienna-born queen of Naples, Maria Carolina, asked the cooks to make her a sachertorte, a dessert of her homeland. Unable to describe it accurately, the royal cooks came up with this cake, named it after Capri, an island the queen enjoyed.
The second story has the caprese cake’s invention happening (again supposedly) in the 1920s, and it is connected with the famous mobster Al Capone. The story is murky. Some sources say Al Capone directly went to Capri for a trip, while others cite that he sent two of his trusted associates to Italy, and they went to Capri after their business in Naples was done. Regardless of which gangster or gangsters were at the famous Capri bakery, Carmine Di Fiore, is beside the point. The presence of these criminals supposedly made the owner and lead baker Di Fiore nervous, and he left out the flour in the cake batter, leading to this dense, rich, and fudgy cake.
he cake makes use of a smaller quantity of eggs but puts them to good use. In one bowl, the egg whites are whipped, while the egg yolks and sugar are whipped in another bowl. When the egg yolk-sugar mixture is a nice fluffy, voluminous, and pale in appearance, the oil and melted white chocolate get added alongside a heavy pour of vanilla. Its mixture of almond flour and ground pistachios is gently added to the egg-yolk mixture. Finally, the egg whites are folded into the batter.
The cake batter gets transferred into a greased cake pan and baked for about half an hour.
Once cooled down, the cake is best served with a dusting of powdered sugar. Here the Pistachio Caprese Cake is a bit more decked out with powdered sugar, chopped pistachios, and a drizzle of chocolate.
This Pistachio Caprese Cake is nothing compared to any flourless dessert you’ve had before. The cake is dense without being overwhelming and dry.
It has this addictive brownie, cookie dough molten center. It is perfect for those who love that center pan brownie or chewy thick cookie. The pistachio flavor is light but flagrantly complimented by the almond flour and vanilla.
A bite of this cake transports you — ticket and travel free. This pistachio version feels more Italian-like than its chocolate counterpart. The nuttiness and color of the cake are just so perfectly Italian and have the levity of being on an island.
With this Pistachio Caprese Cake, you feel like you’re surrounded by the pink and fuchsia bougainvillea climbing on top of pergolas and walls throughout the stucco buildings of Capri. It feels like you can smell the jasmine, lavender, and hibiscus that grow wild in all sorts of corners and crevices. With each bite, the day’s to-dos melts into a foggy daydream of a vacation where the only worries are whether you’ll take a walk before or after having another slice of this cake.
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