A Caprese cake has no flour in it at all. Finely ground almonds do the work flour would normally do, which is why the crumb is dense and damp rather than airy. Ours is the Caprese mini cake, a single-serve version of the Italian original from Capri, built on almonds and dark chocolate.
What it tastes like
Almond and dark chocolate, and not much else. The almonds bring a soft, marzipan-like sweetness; the dark chocolate keeps it from tipping into confectionery. The texture is closer to a truffle than a sponge: it holds a fork mark, and a small one satisfies more than its size suggests. It is a grown-up flavour, and it does not need a decoration to justify itself.
How it is sold, and how many it feeds
Each mini cake is one serving. Buy a single, a tray of six or a tray of twelve from the mini cakes range, which starts at $9. A tray of twelve puts one in front of every person at a table of twelve, with no cutting, no serving spoon and no argument about who got the corner piece. For a gift, the tray does something a single large cake cannot: everyone receives a whole thing of their own.
The honest wording about gluten
New Zealand's food labelling rules changed, and we no longer make blanket dietary claims about any of our items. What we say instead is narrower and more accurate: the Caprese is made with no added gluten, because there is no flour in the recipe to begin with. Our kitchen is small and without exclusive production areas for all of our different recipes, so traces may occur, and nothing we make is guaranteed safe for severe coeliac disease. Two other things worth knowing before you buy for someone else. Nothing in the range is made with no added gluten and no added dairy at the same time, so if a guest needs both, we cannot cover it in one item. And this cake is built on almonds, while the Snickers mini contains peanuts, so ask about nuts before you assume.
What else is made with no added gluten
The Caprese has company, which matters when you are ordering for a mixed table. The Nutella mini is built on ground hazelnuts with a Nutella white chocolate ganache. In the cabinet, the Black & White mousse sits on a flourless brownie base, the Romeo & Juliet cheesecake pairs white chocolate cheesecake with guava jam on a no-added-gluten shortcrust, and the lemon tart does the same under lemon mousse and toasted meringue. The pudim, the Brazilian baked caramel custard, belongs on the same list. All ten petit fours are made with no added gluten as well, sold as a tray of fifteen pieces. The full picture is in our No Added Gluten Cakes and Desserts collection, and we have written more on eating here without added gluten.
Hand it over in person
If you are buying for someone who usually eats around a menu rather than from it, the gift is not only the cake. Bring them in and let them choose from the cabinet themselves. Standing at a counter and pointing at something, rather than asking what is possible and waiting to be told no, is the part people remember, and it turns a collection into an afternoon the two of you spend together. Order the tray ahead so it is boxed and waiting, then stay for a coffee while they decide what else to take home. Our premium gift boxes and the mini cakes and petit fours range cover the larger gifts.
Ordering and visiting
Mini cakes and trays need two days' notice, and the checkout date picker only offers dates the kitchen can meet for what is in your cart. Petit four trays need seven days. Anything already in the cabinet needs none. Collection is from our patisserie inside The Welder on Welles Street in the central city, and we do not deliver. We are open 10am to 6pm Tuesday to Friday and 10am to 3pm Saturday, and the frequently asked questions page covers storage and allergens in more detail.
