Torta Caprese is a wonderfully rich flourless chocolate cake made with ground almonds. Like many traditional Italian recipes, its history is hotly contested: some say it was created by a Neapolitan baker who forgot to add flour to his cake mix; others say it was first baked to lift the spirits of a melancholy child Queen; it even has links to Al Capone and the Camorra. At the trattoria, mum often made a similar cake called torta gianduia, which uses hazelnuts instead of almonds. The recipe hails from Piemonte – the heart of Italy’s hazelnut production. The Tonda Gentile delle Langhe variety is particularly prized for its incredible quality and flavour, carrying the IGP label to denote regionality and strict production standards. When I was a teenager, I remember mum buying these special hazelnuts on a trip back to Italy, transporting them back to New Zealand in her suitcase so she could make gianduia. When the cake came out of the oven, the nutty aroma was so incredible she decided to bring it home rather than put it on the trattoria menu, sharing it with us instead. This recipe was developed at Tiella with my first pastry chef, Maximiliane Krauss-Waller. She was part of my opening team and provided me with so much inspiration, always bringing new ideas to the table. I’ve learnt a huge amount from pastry chefs over the years – they are the brilliant scientists of the restaurant kitchen. I love this cake because it’s so easy to make and hits that sweet spot between decadence and lightness. Seek out good-quality chocolate for this recipe – it makes all the difference – and get creative with the garnish. I like to pair torta Caprese with whipped cream and Amarena cherries preserved in syrup, but it also works nicely with mascarpone laced with espresso, or even fresh berries when they’re in season.