Torta Caprese is a classic cake … and one that was made many times when our Thermomix team hosted a cooking class at our Head Office in Balcatta.

Whilst I loved the cake, it was not one that I could share with my family due to nut allergy (it uses almonds as its “flour”), until a dear friend told me that I could substitute sunflower seeds for the almonds.

This worked a treat, but as sunflower seeds are not as sweet as almonds, I adjusted the recipe to add a bit more “oomph”, and this is now the version I make whether I am using sunflower seeds or almonds.

When milling the nuts or seeds I like to retain some “crunch” so I don’t mill them to a powder … I store my nuts/seeds in the freezer and mill then directly from there which gives me a lovely even texture.

I have covered the cake in chocolate ganache, and then drizzled it with a chocolate glaze.

I make a decent amount of ganache as I like to have two coats of it on top of the cake … the ganache keeps well in the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks, giving you plenty of time to use leftovers to make truffles (add some essential oils to it – peppermint, wild orange, etc.), incorporate into custard (just mix in at the end of the cooking time – makes delicious chocolate custard!), or melt and serve as a chocolate sauce over ice-cream or other desserts.

This is not a very high cake, but it is rich so use a 24cm round cake tin (base measurement) so you can cut relatively slim slices allowing people to come back for seconds if they wish (which is what I do!).

For the glaze I use either Karo Light Corn Syrup (which does not have fructose in it), or GF glucose syrup. Whilst I haven’t tried it myself, you could also possibly use brown rice syrup.

To dispense the glaze I use a plastic sauce bottle that I bought specifically for this purpose … it has a small hole in the lid that is perfect for squeezing the glaze in whatever direction I want. Alternatively you can use a snap lock bag that you pour the glaze into, and then snip off a small hole in one corner and dispense the glaze from there.

I tried to make the glaze in the Thermomix but the rotation of the blade agitates the mix too much and thickens it, which is not what you want … so it is easier to use a microwave, or if you prefer use a small bowl over a pan of hot water stirring all the time until the mix is melted (it doesn’t take long).