Lemon Torta Caprese (Torta Caprese Bianca al Limone)

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full disclosure for details.

Hi Bold Bakers!

WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: My dreamy Lemon Torta Caprese recipe is an Italian gem, and if you’ve never heard of it, you’re in for a treat! Moist and bursting with bright lemon flavor, this easy cake from Capri, an island in Italy’s Bay of Naples, is a dream. This torte was a huge win with my team when we tested the recipe—not just for the flavor, but for the soft, buttery texture. The secret really comes down to the white chocolate, so please use a high-quality bar—I swear by Lindt for both flavor and melt. Avoid chocolate chips, as their quality can vary and they can be tricky and frustrating to melt properly.

• Sunshine on a plate: Every forkful of this citrus cake delivers dreamy Mediterranean vibes.
• Fuss-free: There is so much flavor in this cake—you can even skip the confectioner’s sugar on the top.
• Naturally gluten-free: Everyone can enjoy this almond flour cake!
• Make it ahead: This torte gets even better when it sits for a bit.
• Simple, but elegant: This cake reads fancy, but it takes under 30 minutes to prep, and everyone (including kids!) loves it.

Lemon is one of the top go-tos in my baking rotation, especially at this time of year, when we could all use a bit of brightness and a burst of flavor. While we call this a cake, technically it’s a torte—a dessert made without wheat flour. The combination of almond flour, white chocolate, butter, and eggs gives it an irresistible creaminess, and a double dose of lovely lemon flavor—zest and juice—creates a truly special dessert.

My top tip for this recipe is to choose your ingredients carefully, especially the white chocolate. For the best flavor and texture, use a high-quality white chocolate bar, finely chopped. White chocolate chips contain less cocoa butter and won’t provide the same richness and flavor. For more lemon dessert recipes, be sure to try my No-Bake Lemon Meringue Cheesecake, Lemon Blondies, and Soft Lemon Cookies with Zesty Lemon Glaze.

Table of Contents

• What is Torta Caprese al Limone?
• Tools You Need
• Key Ingredients and Substitutes
• How to Make Lemon Torta Caprese
• Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips
• Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
• FAQs
• How to Serve Lemon Torta Caprese
• More Lemon Cake Recipes

What is Torta Caprese al Limone?

Lemon Torta Caprese (Torta Caprese al Limone) is a single-layer,  flourless Italian cake with a soft, custardy texture. This gluten-free cake, a variant of the original torta caprese—a famed cake from Italy’s Capri island—is made with almond flour and gets its richness from white chocolate and its brightness from lemon zest and juice.

Legend has it that the original Torta Caprese, made with dark chocolate, was created when a baker in southern Italy mistakenly left out the flour from a cake recipe, resulting in a melt-in-the-mouth dessert that quickly became popular. Lemon Torta Caprese highlights the famous lemons of southern Italy and offers a lighter, citrus take that’s simple enough for an everyday dessert or to enjoy with coffee or tea, and elegant enough to serve at a party.

Tools You Need

• Mixing bowls
• Measuring spoons
• Measuring cups
• Glass measuring jug
• Kitchen scale (optional)
• 9-inch (23-cm) springform pan
• Parchment paper
• Food processor (optional)
• Stand mixer or electric hand mixer

Key Ingredients and Substitutes

Almond flour

• Almond flour provides the structure in this Torta Caprese al Limone.
• Additionally, the almond flour adds moisture, a pleasant texture, and a warm, rich, nutty flavor.
• It’s quick and easy to make your own almond flour.
• Substitute: you can use the same amount of hazelnut flour.

White chocolate

• White chocolate adds a buttery sweetness with a note of vanilla.
• Importantly, the chocolate adds creaminess and structure to this flourless cake.
• Please use a high-quality white chocolate bar for this recipe. Lower-quality white chocolate—and most white chocolate chips in the supermarket—contain artificial ingredients and do not melt well.

Lemon zest

• Lemon zest, from the citrus-oil-rich peel, adds deliciously intense flavor.
• Importantly, the lemon cuts through the richness of the white chocolate, almonds, and butter.
• Substitute: Use orange zest instead for a sweeter flavor.
  • Note: Do not use more lemon juice in place of the zest. The juice doesn’t have the same concentrated flavor, and it will make the cake too wet.

Granulated sugar

• Granulated sugar sweetens the cake.
• Additionally, sugar adds moisture, and whipping the sugar and butter helps aerate the cake.
• Substitute: Replace half of the granulated sugar with light brown sugar for a warm caramel note.

Butter

• Butter adds richness and creates a melt-in-the-mouth crumb.
• Additionally, butter adds flavor.
• Substitute: If you don’t have butter, you can use the same amount of a high-quality plant-based butter. Do not use olive oil—it will make the cake greasy and loose.
  • Note that dairy butter is crucial to creating the proper texture, and any substitute won’t yield the same result.

Eggs

• Eggs bind the ingredients and give the cake structure.
• Crucially, the eggs give the lemon torta its unique crumb.
• Be sure to use room-temperature eggs so that they mix in smoothly.
• Substitute: If you don’t have eggs, you can use 3 tablespoons aquafaba (liquid from cooked chickpeas) per egg. In this recipe, you would replace the 5 eggs with 3/4 cup aquafaba (6 fl oz/180 ml). If you make this change, your cake will be less custardy, and more mousse-like and delicate.
  • Note that eggs give this cake its distinctive custardy texture, so using a substitute won’t yield the same result.

Lemon juice

• Lemon juice adds acidity, making the white caprese cake flavorful and bright.
• Importantly, citrus balances the cake’s sweetness and richness.
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice will give the best flavor. Bottled juice is more acidic, so if you use it, decrease the amount by 1 tablespoon.
•  Substitute: Swap the lemon juice for the same amount of orange juice.

Powdered sugar

• Powdered sugar gives the cake a finished, pretty look.
• The confectioner’s sugar is decorative in this recipe—you can skip it if you’d like.

How to Make Lemon Torta Caprese

1. Prepare to bake: Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and butter and line a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Process the almond flour, chocolate, and zest: Add the almond flour, white chocolate, and lemon zest to the bowl of a food processor and process for about 1 minute, until the white chocolate is finely ground.

3. Add sugar and butter: Add in the sugar and butter to the chocolate mixture and process again until combined, about 30 seconds.

4. Whip with eggs: Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use a large bowl and a handheld mixer) and add the eggs, one at a time, whisking on medium speed for about 1 minute per egg.

5. Add lemon juice: Lastly, mix in the lemon juice before pouring the batter into your prepared pan.

6. Start baking at high heat: Bake for 5 minutes at 400°F (200°C).
7. Lower temperature and finish baking: Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F (165°C) and bake for about 45 minutes, until a skewer or a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs attached.

8. Cool cake: Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before releasing the sides to let cool completely.

9. Serve and enjoy: Just before serving, dust the top with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream.

FULL (PRINTABLE) RECIPE BELOW! 

Gemma’s Pro Chef Tips

• If you don’t have a food processor, you can melt the white chocolate, then whisk it with the almond flour, butter, and sugar.
• Please use good-quality white chocolate, not baking chips, which contain artificial ingredients and emulsifiers that prevent them from melting well.
• Use orange zest and juice instead of lemon for a sweeter cake.
• You can make this lemon white chocolate cake ahead. This is a great cake to make in advance because the texture improves the next day after resting and allowing the white chocolate and butter to set.
  • Dust the cake with powdered sugar just before serving.
• Start the oven on 400°F (200°C), and lower it to 325°F (165°C) after 5 minutes. This initial blast of heat helps the cake rise without any chemical leaveners. Baking it at a lower temperature for the rest of the time preserves the custardy texture.
• For a chocolate version of this cake, be sure to check out our Flourless Chocolate Almond Torte.

Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions

Make-ahead tips

• You can make the cake ahead and store it covered at room temperature for up to three days.
• If you’re making it ahead of time, dust with powdered sugar right before serving.

How to store leftovers

• Store the Lemon Torta Caprese covered at room temperature for up to three days.
• You can also freeze a well-wrapped cake for up to 8 weeks. 

FAQs

Is this cake gluten-free?

• Yes, this cake is naturally gluten-free because it’s made with almond flour.
• In addition, be sure the other ingredients are certified gluten-free.

What can I do to ensure that my cake has a custardy, tender texture?

• To be sure your cake has a tender, custard-like texture. Be sure to measure the ingredients correctly.
• Additionally, make sure the ingredients are at room temperature—cold ingredients could cause the mixture to break.
• Add the eggs one at a time. Rushing this step could make the cake dense.
• Don’t overbake the cake. It’s ready when a skewer or thin knife inserted in the middle comes out with a few moist crumbs.

How do I make sure my lemon cake gets the best rise?

• Start baking in a hot oven and then lower the temperature after 5 minutes. This gives the torte lift.
• Let the cake cool gradually to keep it from sinking—wait 10 minutes before releasing the outside ring of the pan.

How to Serve Lemon Torta Caprese

• This Lemon Torta Caprese is loaded with flavor—if you like, you can serve it as-is.
• Dust the cake with icing sugar or sprinkle it with finely grated white chocolate.
• Serve the lemon cake with soft whipped cream, Creme Fraiche Whipped Cream, or Coconut Whipped Cream.
• Adorn the cake with white chocolate curls or toasted slivered almonds.
• This cake is lovely with blueberries or blueberry compote.
• Serve with a scoop of Vanilla Ice Cream or Dairy-Free Vanilla Coconut Ice Cream.

More Lemon Cake Recipes

• Lemon Layer Cake
• Glazed Lemon Pound Cake
• Lemon Meringue Cake
• Vertical Lemon Cake
• Lemon Icebox Cake

Try These Recipes!

One Bowl Chocolate Cake

Small Carrot Cake Recipe

Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake

The Queen's Chocolate Biscuit Cake