Tarta Caprese como nunca antes la habías preparado

Just leafing through the yellowed pages of family recipe books is enough to plunge into a distant world, filled with memories of those irresistible aromas wafting from the oven, harbingers of a hearty snack to come. How soft and crumbly grandma's apple pie and plum cake were, how crunchy our mother's cookies were, and how much we long today to try making them again for our children and grandchildren. The rediscovery of family traditions is a growing trend both in restaurants and at home: we crave reassuring dishes that restore a sense of comfort and indulgence, dishes we recognize as our own, dishes we can replicate because they are part of our collective imagination. Especially when it comes to desserts, it's important to use recipes that have a story to tell and time-tested recipes, as in the case of torta caprese, one of the most famous desserts from Campania.

Born by mistake

As is often the case with many famous Italian recipes, Torta Caprese was born from a mistake. In 1920, Carmine Di Fiore received an order for an almond cake from three American gangsters who had come to Capri on business. Despite being an expert pastry chef and cook, Carmine baked the cake, forgetting to add flour to the batter. He only realized his mistake when he took it out of the oven, but it turned out soft in the center and crispy on the outside. A true delicacy that immediately won over the three gangsters and subsequently many of Carmine's other customers, becoming one of the most beloved Campanian desserts in the world.

The original Caprese cake recipe calls for a mixture of ground almonds and dark chocolate, without flour or yeast, making it suitable for celiacs. Because it's such a popular cake, it's been revisited numerous times over its century-long history. We wanted to make it with white chocolate and two ingredients reminiscent of the region's aromas: lemon, a typical Campanian citrus fruit, and thyme, a Mediterranean herb, which gives the dessert a contemporary twist. Our secret ingredient? A truly special butter.

Which butter should I choose?

Not all butter is the same. It can be produced in two different ways: by skimming or by centrifugation. In the first case, butter is obtained from the cream left over from dairy production and is therefore a by-product of cheesemaking. Centrifugal butter, on the other hand, less commonly produced in Italy, is obtained directly from fresh milk. This process does not alter the cream's organoleptic characteristics, resulting in a premium-quality butter that retains the aroma and pure, sweet flavor of fresh cream. To be sure you're buying good butter, look for the words "centrifugal butter" or "butter from centrifuged cream" on the label.

Choosing a high-quality butter is particularly important for excellent desserts. Campina knows this well, having just launched a new product designed specifically for those who love baking cakes and cookies. This butter is made from centrifuged cream, which simplifies dough kneading thanks to its extreme softness: it blends perfectly with other ingredients, can be used straight from the refrigerator, allowing it to be worked at a low temperature, and facilitates dough aeration, resulting in softer cakes that stay fragrant longer. What's the secret to its softness? It comes from the cows' diet, which is free to graze and feeds exclusively on fresh grass, rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

Caprese Cake with White Chocolate, Lemon, and Thyme: Our Recipe

180 g blanched almonds 175 g egg whites 150 g icing sugar plus a little 120 g white chocolate 100 g Campina butter 80 g egg yolks 50 g potato starch 35 ml lemon juice 5 g cake yeast lemon zest thyme salt

200 g granulated sugar 1 lemon thyme

Finely chop the blanched almonds along with the white chocolate. Sift the potato starch and baking powder together.

Cream the butter in a bowl with half the icing sugar and the grated zest of 2 lemons, a pinch of salt and the leaves of a few sprigs of thyme.

Add the egg yolks one at a time (always working the mixture with the electric whisk) and the lemon juice.

Using a spatula, fold in the almonds and white chocolate. Set aside. Beat the egg whites with the remaining powdered sugar until stiff.

Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, alternating with the cornstarch and baking powder.

Butter and flour a 24 cm diameter cake pan. Pour in the batter and bake in a preheated oven at 160°C for 45 minutes.

Bring the granulated sugar and 100 ml of water to a boil; add the leaves from a few sprigs of thyme and the lemon, sliced ​​into 3 mm thick rounds and deseeded. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the lemon is lightly caramelized. Serve the candied lemon with the cake, garnished with a dusting of powdered sugar.