Just a few blocks from the boardwalk in Coney Island, Gargiulo's Restaurant has been a Brooklyn landmark since 1907, serving generations of New Yorkers beneath crystal chandeliers, sweeping drapery, and old-world grandeur that feels increasingly rare in the city today. Founded by a family from Sorrento, the restaurant became one of Brooklyn’s enduring Italian-American institutions — a place where southern Italian traditions evolved naturally alongside the celebratory spirit of New York dining.
Today, Chef Matthew Cutolo continues that legacy through food that feels deeply personal to both his family history and his Neapolitan roots. While Gargiulo’s is known for classic Italian-American dishes that generations of families have gathered around for weddings, birthdays, communions, and Sunday dinners, there remains a strong thread of southern Italian influence woven throughout the menu, particularly from Naples and the surrounding coastal regions.
For Matthew, those traditions were never learned solely through formal training; they were absorbed firsthand through family. He spent years watching relatives cook and bake, especially one of his uncles, carefully paying attention to the details, documenting techniques, and slowly developing the instincts that define truly great Italian cooking. Over time, those observations became second nature, allowing him to refine the dishes while still preserving the feeling behind them.
That connection is especially evident in the torta caprese, the classic chocolate and almond cake originating from the island of Capri. According to culinary legend, the dessert was created accidentally in the 1920s when a baker forgot to add flour to an almond chocolate cake intended for visitors to the island. What emerged instead became one of southern Italy’s most beloved desserts: naturally gluten-free, deeply chocolatey, delicately crisp on the outside, and impossibly soft at the center.
Though often compared to a lava cake because of its rich, almost molten interior, torta caprese carries a much older history rooted in Neapolitan pastry tradition. Ground almonds replace flour entirely, creating a texture that feels simultaneously rustic and refined — rich without heaviness, elegant without feeling overly precious.
For this chapter of my Regional Italian series, Matthew came to my apartment, and together we made the torta caprese from scratch. Outside the setting of the restaurant, the experience felt even more intimate and personal. As we worked through the recipe together, it became clear how instinctive the process had become for him — the result of years spent learning through repetition, observation, and family memory.
The cake came out beautifully: light yet decadent, intensely chocolate-forward, with that signature soft center that almost melts as you cut into it. It was one of those desserts that feels comforting and elegant at the same time — simple in composition, yet layered with history and emotion.
What makes the dessert even more special at Gargiulo’s is that it appears only occasionally as a special rather than as a permanent menu fixture. If you happen to visit on the right evening, you are tasting more than just a dessert. You are experiencing a direct connection to Matthew’s Neapolitan roots, his family’s culinary history, and more than a century of Italian tradition carried forward in Brooklyn.
Torta Caprese
1 9-inch cake
servings10
minutes1
hourIngredients
5 large 5 eggs, separated
1 cup 1 granulated sugar, divided
1-1/2 cups 1-1/2 dark chocolate, chopped (about 9 oz)
1-1/8 cups 1-1/8 unsalted butter, softened (about 9 oz)
2-3/4 cups 2-3/4 super-fine almond flour
1 pinch 1 salt
butter & cocoa powder, for pan
powdered sugar, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Butter a 9-inch springform pan and dust with cocoa powder, shaking off excess
- Add egg whites to a stand mixer and whisk on medium-high until soft peaks form.
- Slowly add ½ cup sugar, then increase speed. Whip until stiff, glossy peaks form.
- Melt chocolate over a double boiler and let cool slightly before incorporating.
- In a separate bowl, beat butter with remaining ½ cup sugar until pale, light, and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated.
- Fold in almond, flour, and pinch of salt.
- Mix in melted chocolate until smooth.
- Gently fold egg whites into batter in 3 additions, trying to keep as much air as possible.
- Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 35–40 minutes (the cake should be set on the edges with a slightly soft center).
- Let cool completely and dust generously with powdered sugar.
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