Torta Tenerina

Torta tenerina is a chocolate cake from Ferrara in northern Italy. Baked thin, it forms a light crust on its surface, while the inside stays moist and soft. It is enjoyed for its rich chocolate flavor and a center that melts in the mouth.

It is made mainly with dark chocolate, butter, eggs and sugar, with only a small amount of flour. In one method, the chocolate and butter are melted and combined with egg yolks, and whipped egg whites are folded into this batter before baking. This method does not rely on a leavening agent and produces a thin cake. One pastry chef’s recette (the proportions of ingredients and method) uses potato starch instead of wheat flour. The type of flour and the way the eggs are mixed in vary from maker to maker. Adding whipped egg whites incorporates air into the batter, so the baked cake can hold its shape even with little flour. On the other hand, if it is overbaked, the soft center is easily lost.

In Ferrara it is also called tacolenta, which means “sticky” in the local dialect. The name is tied to its soft interior texture. It is sometimes served with a light dusting of powdered sugar, and sometimes accompanied by custard cream or mascarpone cream.

The cake is also included in the City of Ferrara’s register of local products. The city’s 2024 description cites the thin crust on top and the soft center as its characteristics, and records it as one of the foods handed down in the area.

Another name for it is “the Queen of Montenegro’s cake.” A story has been passed down that it was created in dedication to Elena Petrović, wife of King Vittorio Emanuele III of Italy, likening the softness of the cake to the queen’s kind heart. This story is told as the origin of the name associated with the queen; it does not establish who first baked the cake or when.

Glossary