Equipment
Ingredients
Wet Ingredients
- 150 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
- 120 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 3 eggs, room temperature
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 5 ml vanilla extract
Dry Ingredients
- 130 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g almond flour
- 20 g cocoa powder
- 8 g baking powder
- 2 g salt
Fruit & Garnish
- 250 g fresh strawberries, washed and hulled
- powdered sugar
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 434 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 48 g
- Fat
- 25 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 29 g
- Sodium
- 235 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 13 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 103 mg
- Potassium
- 286 mg
- Calcium
- 112 mg
- Iron
- 2.5 mg
- Magnesium
- 73 mg
- Phosphorus
- 185 mg
- Zinc
- 1.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 133 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 18 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.4 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.4 mg
- Vitamin K
- 3 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.2 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.06 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.20 mg
- Niacin
- 0.8 mg
- Folate
- 25 mcg
- Water
- 48 g
- Alcohol
- 0 g
- Caffeine
- 22 mg
Sources: USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease the springform pan with butter and dust lightly with flour or cocoa powder to prevent sticking.
Melt the chopped dark chocolate and cubed butter together using a double boiler or in short bursts in the microwave. Stir until smooth and set aside to cool slightly.
Dice 200g of the strawberries into small 1cm pieces. Slice the remaining 50g into halves for decoration. Toss the diced strawberries in a teaspoon of flour (taken from the total amount) to prevent them from sinking.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer for 3-5 minutes until pale, fluffy, and tripled in volume (ribbon stage).
Gently fold the cooled melted chocolate mixture into the egg foam using a rubber spatula. Do not overmix to preserve the air bubbles.
Sift the flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt directly over the batter. Fold gently until just combined.
Add the flour-dusted diced strawberries and fold them in with 2-3 gentle strokes. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and arrange the halved strawberries on top, cut side up.
Bake in the center of the oven for 40-50 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with moist crumbs, but no wet batter.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before releasing the springform ring. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Chef's Notes
- Room temperature eggs whip up significantly better than cold ones, creating a lighter structure to support the heavy chocolate and fruit.
- Using almond flour is a classic Italian technique that adds moisture and nutty complexity, keeping the cake fresh for longer.
- If your strawberries are very tart, macerate them in a tablespoon of sugar for 10 minutes before draining and adding to the batter.
- This cake tastes even better the next day as the moisture from the strawberries migrates into the chocolate crumb.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container to prevent drying out.
Freezer: 1 month — Wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap and foil.
Reheating: Bring to room temperature before serving for best texture.
Troubleshooting
Cake is dense or heavy
Cause: Air was knocked out of the eggs during folding
Fix: Cannot be fixed, but will still taste like a delicious brownie-cake
Prevention: Fold the dry ingredients and chocolate in very gently using a 'cut and fold' motion
Strawberries sank to the bottom
Cause: Fruit was too wet or not coated in flour
Fix: Flip the cake upside down after baking and glaze the bottom (now top)
Prevention: Pat strawberries dry after washing and coat in a small amount of flour before adding
Cultural Context
This recipe is inspired by the rustic 'Torta al Cioccolato' found in Italian households. While traditional versions like the Caprese originate from Capri and use only almond flour, this version incorporates wheat flour for a lighter crumb that better supports the moisture of fresh seasonal fruit.
