TORTA DI CAPEZZANA

Torta di Capezzana is an olive oil cake I'd prepared several times with moderate success before adjusting the online/printed recipes to my own kitchen equipment. The problem is that batter consists of too much liquid but most recipes said to pour into a 24cm baking tin (impossible) and bake for 45 minutes (insufficient). My own adapted version was inspired by Beaneaters & Bread Soup: Portraits and Recipes from Tuscany (2007). Each section of this lovely book introduces an Italian producer with stories about their life and work and recipes using their products. The olive oil cake is from a section dedicated to the Contini Bonacossi family, who own a villa-farm named Capezzana since 1920. Their main produce is wine and olive oil - from trees whose cultivation goes much further back in history, as is explained on their website.

 

Olive Grove - Vincent Van Gogh, 1889

 

 

The estate of Capezzana is situated near Carmignano. The area, which belongs to the region of Prato, has been inhabited for ages, protected by a fortress since the 11th century, and disputed by its neighbours for its strategic position on the river Arno. Between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, it was dominated by Florence and the powerful Medici. With time, the fortress was depopulated and the village expanded southwards. Tourist attractions in or near Carmignano include Etruscan tombs, medieval & Renaissance churches and several villas. The villa-farm of Capezzana was built as such during the late Renaissance but the original buildings existed in the area since at least the Middle Ages. Production of wine and olive oil at the estate is attested on a document of 804, when much of Italy had already been conquered by the Franks.

 

 

 

TORTA DI CAPEZZANA

The author of Beaneaters and Bread Soup visited the estate of Capezzana and spoke with the 83-year old Countess Beatrice who revealed the secret for a delicious torta: extra-virgin olive oil of the best quality, like the early green variety produced on her farm. I agree 100% because the flavor and taste of olive oil is very present in this cake. The following version is slightly adapted from the original recipe and the changes highlighted in yellow.

I n g r e d i e n t s

olive oil to grease the springform pan

300g plain flour, plus extra to dust

100g finely ground almonds (or walnuts)

1tbsp baking powder

3 large eggs

300g caster sugar

300ml finest extra-virgin olive oil

300ml milk

2tbsp grated orange peel

juice of 1 orange (=100ml)

M e t h o d

Preheat the oven to 175oC. Grease and flour a 26cm springform pan. Sift the flour and baking powder together. Add the nuts and grated orange peel. Beat the eggs wih the sugar until very light. Stir in the orange juice, milk and olive oil. Add the dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Transfer to the springform pan and bake for 1 h 30 - or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out perfectly clean. (Lower the temperature to 165oC after one hour of baking and cover with aluminum foil, if necessary, to avoid burning the surface.) Cool in the springform pan for a while, then upturn onto a wire rack and leave for several hours. Refrigerate leftover cake, especially in the summer.

 

N o t e

The original recipe doesn't use nuts. The batter is poured into a 24cm baking tin, which is greased with butter. The oven temperature is steadily 180oC and baking time exactly 45 minutes.