Tenerina al cioccolato e caffè is a simple sublime Italian cake. The lightly crackled crust and creamy truffled heart of this delicate, rich in flavour, cake, will win you over. It makes a perfect chocolate treat with a hint of coffee to enjoy on any day at any time at any occasion.
Cake and chocolate are a perfect combo. Wink. The tenerina cake is a delicious dessert, that nobody can resist. My friend Chiara told me about it. Therefore, I read all about it and was so impressed that I had to make it.
This Italian cake origin from the Ferrara area. It’s a fantastic cake, made without yeast, with only a small amount of flour and lots of dark chocolate. Yummy. It got its name from the moist consistency and a tender, creamy chocolate heart, that melts in the mouth like chocolate. In contrast to that, the thin crackled crust, with a meringue-like consistency, gives an extra texture to the cake.
Tenerina cake makes a perfect dessert, an elegant or casual after-dinner, sprinkled with some icing sugar or not. Also, it’s excellent for breakfast, and as a snack and it stays delicious for days. If you don’t eat it before, of course. Wink.
The chocolate variation is a classic. But, I also added some coffee to it. Coffee really intensifies the chocolate flavour and, at the same time, leaves that elegant coffee note at the end.
This cake is made with just a few ingredients, without any yeast or baking powder. That’s why it has the particularity of remaining low and moist inside. Also, plenty of dark chocolate makes it very rich and decadent.
For more delicious and incredible gorgeous cakes and desserts, you might check these recipes: chocolate crinkle cookies, Slovenian walnut cake with a twist, classic pinwheel cookies, a cream cake in a glass, this gorgeous cherry charlotte or this invisible apple cake.
Tips and tricks
Since this cake is very soft and delicate, it is best to use a spring form. With a spring form, you can easily and, most of all, without breaking it, remove it from the form. Especially after the cake is cold, it is almost impossible to remove it from the baking pan without making some cracks.
Also, do not try to flip it over. This will break it into pieces. After removing the form, carefully transfer the cake onto a cake stand. I used a larger cake spatula.
Last but not least, I left my tenerina cake “pure”. However, you can sprinkle it with some icing sugar for a more festive look and more sweetness.
Ingredients for a tenerina al cioccolato e caffè cake (ca 20 cm Ø):
- 100g melted dark chocolate
- 50 g butter
- 70 g sugar (half for egg yolks, half for egg whites)
- 1 egg yolk
- 30 ml coffee
- 30 g flour (sieved)
- 1 egg white
To begin, grease the spring form with some butter and then dust it with some flour. Remove the excess flour. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Then, roughly chop the chocolate and place it into a heatproof bowl. Place the bowl in a water bath and melt the chocolate. Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the butter, a little at a time. Stir until melted and well incorporated. Allow coming to room temperature.
In the meantime, separate the egg yolk from the egg white. Put them into separate bowls. Add half of the sugar to the egg white and whip until stiff peaks.
Mix the remaining sugar with the egg yolk and mix until fluffy and pale. At this point, stir the chocolate (in three parts) into the egg yolk mixture. Mix until combined. Stir in the coffee. Afterwards, gently fold the egg whites (also in three parts) into the egg-chocolate mixture.
Add the sieved flour, and gently fold it into the mixture. Once the mixture is well combined, pour it into the spring form. Put in the preheated oven and bake for 22-27 minutes.
After the tenerina is baked, leave it in the oven ajar for 15 minutes, then remove it from the oven and leave it in the form to cool down completely. Once cold, carefully remove the form.
Finally, cut the cake tenerina al cioccolato e caffè into desired portions and serve with some hot coffee, hot chocolate or tea. If you like, you can dust the cake with some icing sugar as well.
Enjoy.
