Theo Randall’s torta barozzi (flourless chocolate, almond and rum cake)
- Published: 6 Sep 24
- Updated: 13 Sep 24
Torta barozzi is a rich, fudgy flourless chocolate cake from Northern Italy. Have chef Theo Randall’s recipe up your sleeve when you need an easy make-ahead dessert.
“This is a cake that’s been made in a café in Vignola, near Modena, for over 100 years,” says Theo. “It’s named after the Italian Renaissance architect Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola and has rum, coffee, almonds and chocolate in it – so you can’t go wrong. It’s incredibly simple in its preparation and presentation but, in my opinion, it’s the best flourless chocolate cake to exist.”
After training in classical French cooking, Theo joined The River Cafe in 1989, where he built up his knowledge of Italian cuisine and guided the now-famous west London restaurant to its first Michelin star in 1997. In 2006 he launched Theo Randall at the Intercontinental. It’s still going strong today. His most recent cookbook is Verdura (Quadrille £28)
Enjoyed this dessert? Take a look at Theo’s torta sacripantina (cherry and raspberry genoise) recipe too. And discover more recipes from the length and breadth of Italy in our special hub.
Ingredients
- 150g unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
- 250g dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces
- 120g blanched almonds
- 4 medium eggs, separated
- 50ml espresso coffee
- 25ml dark rum
- 150g caster sugar
- Icing sugar to dust
- Mascarpone to serve (optional)
Specialist kit
- 25cm cake tin
Method
- Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4 and grease the cake tin with butter. Put a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water), then add the chocolate and 150g butter. Leave to melt, stirring occasionally.
- Meanwhile, pulse the almonds in a food processor until coarsely ground – you want them to be quite uniform and small but some texture is good. Stir them into the melted chocolate mix, then remove from the heat and mix in the egg yolks, espresso and rum.
- Put the egg whites and caster sugar in a very clean mixing bowl and use an electric whisk to whisk to soft peaks (which flop over when you remove the whisk). Using a large metal spoon, gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture, trying not to knock all the air out of the eggs. Transfer to the prepared tin, then bake for 30 minutes. Leave to cool completely before dusting with icing sugar. Serve with a dollop of mascarpone, if you like.
- Recipe from September 2024 Issue
Nutrition
- Calories
- 425kcals
- Fat
- 32g (15g saturated)
- Protein
- 7.8g
- Carbohydrates
- 24g (22g sugars)
- Fibre
- 3.9g
- Salt
- 0.1g
delicious. tips
The torta will keep for up to 2 days in an airtight container.
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