What the heck is a recipe for chocolate cake doing in a blog about Radical Stewardship™? I’m so glad you asked! Sometimes we get ourselves into some real messes. We rush too much, we’re distracted, we’re feeling pressured, and the next thing we know, we’ve screwed up something really important, and we’ve screwed it up badly.

However, even when we think that things couldn’t possibly be salvageable, along comes God and turns the most outwardly dire situations into something more incredible than anyone could have imagined. Consider Joseph, who went from slave and prisoner to one of the most powerful men of his time. Consider Moses, who went from having his back against the Red Sea to leading an entire nation across the sea on dry land, escaping the Egyptian army. Consider the ultimate example, Jesus, who went from a horrible death by crucifixion at the hands of His enemies to the savior of all mankind.

And now, consider the story of a nervous Italian pastry chef, who turned a grave mistake into what Italians now fondly call, “uno dei pasticci più fortunati della storia” – one of the most fortunate messes in history! Yes, this really is a story – and a recipe – about chocolate cake! Not just any chocolate cake, but an “accidentally” gluten-free cake called Torta Caprese, which I’ve put my own spin on using Amarena cherries. The recipe is below, but first…

The Story

Torta Caprese is a traditional Italian flourless chocolate and almond cake with a history steeped in legend, widely believed to have been created by accident on the island of Capri in the 1920s. Its exact origins are a mystery, and several compelling stories exist, but the most popular and widely accepted story attributes the cake’s invention to a nervous local pastry chef named Carmine Di Fiore. As the story has it, in the 1920s, a group of American gangsters, some allegedly connected to Al Capone, visited Capri to purchase spats (shoe covers). While there, they requested a chocolate and almond cake from chef Di Fiore. Stressed and nervous about serving intimidating criminals, the chef inadvertently forgot to add flour to the cake batter. You can imagine the chef’s horror when the cake came out of the oven: dense, heavy, sunken in the middle, and not at all what the gangsters were expecting! However, rather than a disaster, the absence of flour resulted in a rich, moist, dense, and fudgy cake with a crispy outer layer that was a hit with the mobsters. They loved the unique texture so much that they asked him for the recipe, and the “mistake cake” became a local sensation and remains a staple of Neapolitan cuisine.

An Amarena Twist

I was recently asked on short notice to make a dessert to be served with roast prime rib for a family holiday dinner. Wanting to bake something worthy of the occasion, yet being far away from my own kitchen, I did some quick research on dense chocolate cakes and came across several recipes for Torta Caprese. The most intriguing of them incorporated Amarena cherries: a dark, tart, cocktail cherry that is distinctly different from maraschino cherries. I ultimately wove together elements from five different recipes plus a bit of my own imagination to arrive at what I’ve named Torta Caprese Amarena (photo above, recipe below), which I baked and served the same day. (Forgive my serving the slices on saucers – it’s what was available!) The texture and flavor were as decadent as the photo appears, and the Amarena cherries and Kirschwasser (clear, unaged, black forest cherry brandy) added a charming and delightful uniqueness. I do think that next time, I’ll bake the torte a day in advance to allow the flavors to mature overnight. If you make my recipe yourself, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

The Moral of the “Mistake Cake”

When the “Mistake Cake” came out of the oven on that fateful day, Chef Di Fiore could have panicked. He had every reason to. The Mob was at his door, they had expectations, and he had failed to meet those expectations on the most basic level. But whether he panicked or whether he didn’t, Chef Di Fiore didn’t give in to fear or hopelessness. He looked for good in the situation, and when he looked at his “mistake” through that lens, to his amazement, he saw a naturally gluten-free delicacy that both wowed the mobsters and is enjoyed worldwide today.

The next time you really make a mess out of something in life, remember chef Carmine Di Fiore, and remember our wonderful God, who can use even our worst messes to produce something truly amazing!

If you would like help navigating a mistake or a mess of your own making, I encourage you to check out my coaching page or connect with me directly. I’d love to walk with you!

And now, here is the recipe you’ve been waiting for:

TORTA CAPRESE AMARENA

Ingredients

Torte

• 4 large eggs
• ¼ c (4 T) granulated sugar
• 8 oz 70-80% bakers chocolate
• ¼ c (4 T) dark brown sugar
• ½ c unsalted butter, room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 8 oz jar of Amarena cherries in syrup (NOT maraschino cherries)
• ¼ c Kirschwasser cherry brandy (this is NOT maraschino cherry liqueur)
• ½ t almond extract
• ½ t vanilla extract
• 1 c almond flour
• 2 T cocoa powder, unsweetened
• ¼ t fine salt

Chantilly and Garnish

• 1 c whipping cream
• 1 T granulated sugar
• ½ t almond extract
• ½ t vanilla extract
• 1 c sliced almonds
• Amarena cherries and remaining syrup (all from jar above)

Necessary Equipment

• 8” round springform pan (critical)
• Food processor (or heavy-duty blender)
• Bain-marie (or double boiler)
• Stand mixer (or hand-held beaters)
• Convection oven
• Parchment paper

Instructions

Step One: Pan Preparation

Preheat oven to 350° on the convection setting. Trace the outline of an 8” round spring form pan on parchment paper, then cut out the circle. Cut additional strips of parchment paper sufficient to line the sides of the pan. Grease one side of the parchments with butter. Grease the springform pan with butter and line the bottom and sides of the pan with the greased parchment paper, buttered on the torte-facing side.

Step Two: Egg Whites

Separate the eggs and beat the egg whites using the whisk attachment to form medium peaks that droop slightly. Add one tablespoon of the granulated sugar and continue whisking into firm but not stiff peaks. Chill the egg white mixture in the refrigerator.

Step Three: Chocolate Mixture

In a food processor (or heavy duty blender), process the chocolate and two tablespoons of the brown sugar until the chocolate is finely chopped. Slowly melt the chocolate mixture and butter in a bain-marie (or double boiler), ensuring the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Separate the Amarena cherries from the syrup and set the cherries aside. Warm ¼ cup of the syrup in the microwave for 30 seconds. Stir the Kirschwasser, vanilla extract, and almond extract into the warm syrup. Add the syrup mixture to the chocolate mixture. Remove the chocolate mixture from heat and set it aside to cool to lukewarm (very important!)

Step Four: Torte Mixture

Mix almond flour, cocoa powder, salt, two tablespoons of the granulated sugar, and the remaining two tablespoons of the brown sugar. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the cooled chocolate mixture. Whisk the egg yolks with the remaining one tablespoon of the granulated sugar and add this to the cooled chocolate mixture. (If the chocolate mixture is too warm, the egg yolks will cook.) Remove the egg white mixture from the refrigerator. Pour the chocolate mixture into the chilled egg white mixture and fold together gently but thoroughly. Pour the resulting batter into the prepared pan and gently level with a spatula. (Do not shake or tap the pan!)

Step Five: Bake

Bake the torte at 350° on the convection setting for 35-40 minutes. Torte is done when the outside is set, the middle has a slight jiggle, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few crumbs attached. Cool the torte for 20 minutes, then release and remove the sides of the springform pan, leaving the parchment in place. (The center of the torte will settle – this is normal.)

Step Six: Chill

Lightly toast the almonds on a cookie sheet while the torte cools. Cool the almonds and chill them in the refrigerator. Whip the whipping cream until stiff, creamy peaks form, but no longer. Stir in sugar, vanilla extract, and almond extract, then chill the resulting Chantilly (whipped cream mixture) in the refrigerator. When the torte has cooled completely, remove the side parchment and transfer the torte with bottom parchment to an airtight container, but don’t seal the container. Loosely cover the torte to avoid condensation, and refrigerate the torte for at least one hour. After one hour, seal the air-tight container until serving.

Step Seven: Garnish and Serve

Remove the chilled torte from the refrigerator one hour before serving and transfer to a serving plate. (I found that a charger makes a fun serving dish.) Once the torte is on its serving dish, while the torte is still chilled, using a warm, dry, sharp knife for each slice, slice the torte into twelve wedge-shaped slices. After slicing, let the torte come to room temperature. Just before serving, dust the whole torte with cocoa powder, using a flour sifter or fine strainer. Before serving, garnish each slice with a dollop of whipped cream, three cherries, sliced almonds, and a drizzle of the remaining Amarena cherry syrup. (I like to garnish the whole sliced torte with the whipped cream, almonds, and cherries before removing the slices, then remove each slice and drizzle cherry syrup over the top of each slice such that it runs down the sides of the slice.) Take photos of your masterpiece, then serve!