Torta caprese and tiramisu without coffee: Italian pudding recipes from Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi

Surrounded by lemon, almond and walnut groves, and with Arab influence from the Middle Ages, the Amalfi Coast has some of the best cakes and pies in Italy - and that doesn't matter not even the ice creams and granitas sold on every street corner. Today's dense and indulgent chocolate tart, for example, which hails from Capri, is filled with little almond nuggets, while the lighter version of the classic tiramisu features a strawberry sauce that's a wonderfully versatile thing. must have in the fridge: it will add a burst of flavor in a bowl of thick yoghurt with banana slices or vanilla ice cream, and also looks fantastic swirled around in a glass of prosecco.

Torta caprese (cake with chocolate and almonds; top in photo)

Whole peeled almonds save a lot of time and effort, but if you can only find them with the skin, blanch them first in boiling water for a few minutes, then rub them between two tea towels, and the skins will come out of the mold quite easily.

Preparation 10 minCooking 1 hour + cooling Makes 1 round cake of 22 cm, for 6-8 people

200 g salted butter at room temperature, diced, plus extra for greasing 200 g whole peeled almonds 200 g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa), broken into rounds res4 eggs, separated 150g caster sugarIcing sugar, for dusting

Grease a 22cm round springform cake tin with butter and heat oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4). Scatter the almonds on a baking sheet, bake for 10 minutes, until lightly browned, then finely chop (or process in a food processor) until the consistency of demerara sugar.

While the almonds are toasting, melt the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of boiling water. barely simmering (or in the microwave, in this case be careful not to burn the chocolate), then let cool a little.

In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. In a third bowl, whip the egg whites until stiff.

Pour the melted chocolate and butter into the egg yolk mixture, mix well, then incorporate the almond powder. Stir in egg whites until well blended, then pour into greased pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until until the pie forms a crust on the outside (don't expect a skewer to come out clean, as the center of this cake will remain moist). Leave to cool in the mold before unmolding.

To decorate the cake, place a patterned doily on top, sift a thin layer of icing sugar, then gently peel off the doily. Serve at room temperature – we like to eat it with orange ice cream.

Tiramisù fragole e limone (quick strawberry and lemon tiramisu)