Torta Tenerina, classic Italian soft chocolate cake, is a specialty dessert from Ferrara in Emila Romagna, Italy. Torta Tenerina, literally meaning "tender cake", is a chocolate cake with a rich, moist interior and a crisp top. The perfect cake for all chocolate lovers.
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Torta Tenerina, the origins
This melt-in-your-mouth "tender cake" was created in the early 1900s in Ferrara, Emilia Romagna, in honor of Elena Petrovich, queen of Montenegro, who married the king of Italy Vittorio Emanuele III. She was a sweet woman with a tender heart, just like the cake. Sometimes this cake is also called Torta Montenegrina. As often happens with Italian classics, there are many recipes for this cake.
Ingredients
Easy to make, this low-rise cake, has no leavening agent, very little flour, and lots of melted dark chocolate. Fluffy beaten egg yolks ad stiff egg whites give the cake a unique tender texture with a meringue-like top. You will need:
- dark chocolate (50% or 70% cocoa according to your taste. Make sure to use the finest dark chocolate you can find);
- instant coffee (or the zest of half an orange), to enhance the chocolate flavor;
- unsalted butter;
- eggs, at room temperature. We only use organic, free range;
- cane or granulated sugar;
- vanilla extract;
- flour (all-purpose, or rice flour for a gluten-free version);
- salt, just a pinch;
- powdered sugar to dust on top.
Torta Tenerina - the steps
Before starting to the make the cake batter, in a bain marie (double boiler or water bath) melt the dark chocolate. Turn off heat, add the instant coffee (or orange zest) and stir. Add the cubed butter and mix with a spatula until blended in the chocolate. Set aside to cool.
In two bowls, separate the egg yolks from the whites. Add half of the sugar to each bowl. With a hand held mixer, beat the egg whites to a medium stiff peak. Then, without washing the blades, beat the yolks and the sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and gently mix with one of the blades. Add the vanilla, and mix again. Then, add the flour and slowly mix it in with the blade.
Lastly, incorporate the egg whites in two times and mix with the blade until well blended. Always mix from top to bottom movements to avoid deflating the egg whites.
Pour the batter into to a prepared 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan (or pan with removable bottom). It is very delicate so it's best not to turn it over when unmolding.
Bake at 350°/180°C for 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake or you will lose that "brownie" texture.
Take out of the oven and let cool on a rack, then remove from the pan and dust generously with powdered sugar. The top may crack more or less and that is a signature of this cake.
Make it gluten-free
Replace the little amount of all-purpose flour with rice flour to make it gluten-free.
Serving suggestions
The decadent flavor of the Torta tenerina and its incredible light and soft texture make it a pleasure to eat. Enjoy it plain with a generous dusting of powdered sugar or serve it with lightly sweetened whipped cream, mascarpone cream, or vanilla ice cream.
How to store it
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, if it lasts that long.
Happy baking! Enjoy!
PrintTorta Tenerina, classic Italian soft chocolate cake
Torta Tenerina, classic Italian soft chocolate cake, is a specialty dessert from Ferrara in Emila Romagna, Italy. Torta Tenerina, literally meaning "tender cake", is a chocolate cake with a rich, moist interior and a crisp top. The perfect cake for all chocolate lovers.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 servings 1x
- Category: Dessert, cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 200 g dark chocolate (50% or 70%)
- 1 tsp instant coffee (or the zest of half an orange)
- 90 g unsalted butter
- 4 eggs, at room temperature
- 120 g cane (or granulated) sugar, divided
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50 g 00 (or all-purpose) flour (or 50 g rice flour for gluten free version)
- a pinch of salt
- powdered (icing) sugar to dust on top
Instructions
- In a bain marie melt dark chocolate. Turn off heat, add instant coffee and stir. Add cubed butter and mix with a spatula until blended. Set aside to cool.
- In two bowls, separate the egg yolks from the whites. Add half of the sugar to each bowl. With a hand held mixer, beat the egg whites to a medium stiff peak. Then, without washing the blades, beat the yolks and the sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the melted chocolate mixture to the egg yolk mixture and gently mix with one of the blades.
- Add the vanilla, and mix again.
- Then add the flour and slowly mix it in with the blade.
- Lastly, incorporate the egg whites in two times and mix with the blade until well blended.
- Pour the batter into to a prepared 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan (or pan with removable bottom). It is very delicate so it's best not to turn it over when unmolding.
- Bake at 350°/180°C for 25-30 minutes. Do not overbake.
- Take out of the oven and let cool on a rack, then take out of the pan and dust with powdered sugar. The top may crack more or less and that is a signature of this cake.
- Enjoy it plain with a generous dusting of powdered sugar or serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream, mascarpone cream, or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Replace the little amount of all-purpose flour with rice flour to make it gluten-free.
Store the cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, if it lasts that long.
I love baking and kneading dough because it takes me to a happy place in my soul.
Maggie says
My bff just moved back from Italy. She's military and was stationed there. She mentioned this cake. Her birthday is also Christmas. This is what I'm making her. 🙂
Nice friend you are, making her this cake! Enjoy!
Colleen says
This cake looks so rich and chocolate-y but so easy to make. I am definitely saving this recipe so I can make the gluten-free version.
Thanks! It's worth a making! Hope you try it!
Marta says
Your torta tenerina truly delivered on its name of tender. I loved how chocolaty and velvety the cake was.
Thank you! It's truly a fantastic cake!
Jamie says
I bought 00 flour to make this recipe and then I found out there is 2 kinds. I have the kind to use for pizza dough.
Can I also use this for the cake?
It's the only 00 flour I could find.
Hi Jamie, there is not much flour, anyway, so it will be fine to use it. Enjoy!
Erin says
I love that you included rice flour for a gluten-free version! I'm definitely going to try this. Did you use white or brown? Thanks!
Thank you! Happy you want to try it! You can use either white or brown rice flour. You'll end up with a slightly different texture anyway. But still so good!
Mindy S says
Omg this is so good! I love my chocolate dark so I used 70% chocolate and it was amazing!
I use 70% cocoa too, and love it! Thank you!
Katie Crenshaw says
This cake turns out lovely! It is rich in flavor but light and fluffy in texture. The family loved it.
Thank you! Happy about it!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
My husband loves chocolate and I made this for the holiday lunch and he fell in love with it. I did use APF this time, but will try using rice flour next time. A must try recipe for chocolate lovers.
Thanks! Definitely a must for chocolate lovers!
Amy says
The cake was so soft and the chocolate flavor was so rich. It's definitely one of my new favorites, thank you!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed the flavor and texture!
Cathleen says
My husband was craving chocolate cake, so I checked my pinterest board to see what I can find. I am so glad I decided on this one, because it is now my husband's favourite. Thank you so much for the recipe 🙂
You're welcome! It's our favorite chocolate cake, too!
Sue says
Recipe looks great but I couldn't even read the recipe content on your website for all the pop ups and ads. Sorry to be critical, but your website is a mess! SO many pop ups and ads it made me want to get off as quick as possible. They take up 3/4 of the screen and hide the actual content. Ugh
We're sorry that you feel that way, although the blog wouldn't operate without the income from the ads. No difference than Tv and commercials. And all the other websites that run professionally, as well. Too bad because the cake is amazing and deserves to be made. In the 15 plus years of people coming to the blog to get recipes FOR FREE, nobody has ever complained.
Amanda says
Greetings! This recipe looks amazing! I was wondering though if I do not use instant coffee and use the orange peel is that incorporated during the melting of the chocolate? Thank you!
Thank you Amanda! Yes you could substitute the orange peel. You would do it at the time you are melting the chocolate and once that is done and you add the butter and let it cool, at this time take the peel out and scrape any excess chocolate off it. Them proceed with the rest of the recipe. We are really curious to see how it turns out. let us know, and thank you for wanting to try this recipe!
Happy baking and enjoy this lovely Italian Torta!
Amy says
Hi. Is the instant coffee to be added in powder form? Or made up into 1tsp liquid coffee? Thanks!
Powder or liquid. I've done either one and both work.