This divine Italian almond cake - torta Elvezia - is made with almond-meringue layers (almond dacquoise) alternated with buttercream and sliced almonds. Serving up to 12 people, the cake makes a perfect celebration. What's more? It is gluten-free!

This almond dacquoise cake is the obvious appearance on the blog after cashew dacquoise cake Sans Rival, its pistachio version (available for members of the Baking Like a Chef club), gorgeous coconut dacquoise, and beautiful pistachio dacquoise.
Italian almond dacquoise cake Elvezia, or torta Elvezia, is a typical Mantuan dessert with a Swiss name.
The right spelling of the cake is "Helvetia," which is the Latin name of Switzerland. As per Giallo Zafferano, it is a cake
with a Swiss heart but born in Italy.
Elvezia cake
Elvezia cake, or Helvetia, was invented by Swiss confectioners - the Samson Putscher family.
When the Putschers moved to the Italian Province of Mantua from Switzerland in the late 1700s, they created a recipe for the cake Elvezia and opened their pastry shop.
So, this Italian almond cake is a beautiful combination of Swiss pastry techniques with Italian ingredients.
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Italian almond cake recipe
I came across an Italian almond cake recipe when I was looking for a cake to serve up to 12 people for a birthday party.
Authentic Elvezia cake is a combination of almond dacquoise, the tasty zabaglione, and a delicious cocoa buttercream.
The Italian almond cake recipe below is the adapted version of the Elvezia cake created by Italian chef Luca Montersino.
The cake consists of three almond dacquoise layers sandwiched with the buttercream and generously sprinkled with sliced almonds.
It is generally an Italian almond flour cake with added white rice flour to make the dacquoise.
Nowadays, different versions enriched with hazelnut flour, whipped cream, and chocolate chips also exist. So, you are free to experiment.
Why you should try this recipe
- Italian almond cake is extraordinary in every bite.
- The cake is gluten-free.
- It is perfect for any celebration: it serves up to 12 people.
- This almond cake recipe worth making and keeping in your cakes' recipe collection.
Ingredients
Here is a quick overview of what ingredients you will need. Follow the full recipe below for exact amounts and instructions. I recommend making the recipe as written for the best results.
Egg whites and yolks: use an egg separator to separate the egg whites from the yolks while the eggs are chilled. Then make sure to bring them both to room temperature.
Sugar: use caster sugar or process granulated sugar in a food processor for a few seconds to make the sugar superfine.
Almond flour: the recipe calls for blanched finely ground almond flour (not a coarse almond meal) to make the cake. While measuring almond flour, spoon it from a container gently into a measuring cup. Please, do not pack/press it down!
Rice flour: use white rice flour.
Acacia honey: it is the most neutral honey among others. Replace it with glucose if desired.
Butter: use unsalted softened butter. Take it out of the fridge 1 to 2 hours before you start.
Vanilla bean: it brings a beautiful flavor to the buttercream. Use Madagascar vanilla beans.
Sliced almonds: use store-bought toasted sliced almonds or toast nuts yourself in the oven at 300 F/150 C for 10 to 15 minutes.
Icing sugar: make it yourself with a coffee grinder or use store-bought powdered sugar to dust the ready cake.
How to make Italian almond cake
Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F/180 C. To make the almond dacquoise, place egg whites and 185 g caster sugar in a saucepan and beat with a hand whisk.
Continue whisking and bring the mixture over low heat to warm up (photo 1).
Remove the egg whites/sugar mixture from heat and beat with an electric or stand mixer to get the glossy meringue (photo 2).
Place almond flour, 205 g sugar, and rice flour in a bowl of the food processor and crush the dry mixture until homogeneous.
Add this mixture to the meringue to two-three times and mix with a rubber spatula (photo 3).
Prepare three parchment paper sheets and draw three discs with a diameter of 8.5 inches/22 cm. Flip these paper sheets so that the drawn circles will be facing down.
Transfer the preparation in a pastry bag fitted with Ateco plain pastry tip 809 and pipe three dacquoise disks in a spiral shape within the pencil marks (photo 4).
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the ready dacquoise disks from the oven and let them cool (photo 5).
To make the buttercream, place egg yolks with the scraped vanilla seeds in a stand mixer bowl and whisk.
In a saucepan, place water, honey (warm it up in a microwave for a few seconds in advance), and granulated sugar and bring to a boil.
Once the syrup reaches 250 F/121 C, pour the sugar syrup into the egg yolks while whisking. Continue to whisk for the mixture to cool down and become whitish (photo 6).
Add the softened butter cubes, one at a time, and continue whisking till the cream becomes smooth and homogeneous (photo 7).
To assemble the cake, cut the dacquoise disks' edges with a knife to get the right circles.
Cover the first dacquoise disk with the buttercream, sprinkle with toasted almonds. Place the second disk and repeat the operation (photo 8).
Finally, put with the third disk and cover the cake's top and edges with the buttercream.
Sprinkle the cake all over with the sliced almonds (photos 9 - 10). Dust the top of the cake with icing (powdered) sugar. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Expert tips
- Toast sliced almonds in the oven at 300 F/150 C for 15 minutes.
- Make sure to serve the cake at room temperature: take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can bake dacquoise a few days in advance and keep it in a cool place. Assemble the cake one day ahead.
Store Elvezia cake in the refrigerator under a glass bell for up to 2 days.
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Recipe card
Italian Almond Cake
This divine Italian almond cake - torta Elvezia - is made with almond-meringue layers (almond dacquoise) alternated with buttercream and sliced almonds. Serving up to 12 people, the cake makes a perfect celebration. What's more? It is gluten-free!
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 12-13 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 3 ½ tablespoons (300 g) egg whites (see note #1)
- ⅔ cup + 2 ½ tablespoons (185 g) caster sugar
- 2 ⅔ cups + 4 tablespoons (280 g) almond flour
- ⅔ cup + 4 tablespoons (205 g) caster sugar
- 7 ½ tablespoons (75 g) rice flour
- ⅔ cup + 3 ½ tablespoons (200 g) granulated sugar
- 6 ½ large (112 g) egg yolks (see note #2)
- 4 tablespoons (60 g) water
- ½ tablespoon (10 g) acacia honey
- 14.1 oz. (400 g) butter, softened
- ½ vanilla bean
- 7 oz. (200 g) sliced almonds
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
*Don't you have the correct baking pan on hand right now? Try this simple Cake Pan Converter!
** If needed, please refer to Baking Conversion Charts.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F/180 C. To make the almond dacquoise, place egg whites and 185 g caster sugar in a saucepan and beat with a hand whisk. Continue whisking and bring the mixture over low heat to warm up. Remove the egg whites/sugar mixture from heat and beat with an electric or stand mixer to get the glossy meringue.
- Place almond flour, 205 g sugar, and rice flour in a bowl of the food processor and crush the dry mixture until homogeneous. Add this mixture to the meringue to two-three times and mix with a rubber spatula.
- Prepare three parchment paper sheets and draw three discs with a diameter of 8.5 inches/22 cm. Flip these paper sheets so that the drawn circles will be facing down. Transfer the preparation in a pastry bag fitted with Ateco plain pastry tip 809 and pipe three dacquoise disks in a spiral shape within the pencil marks. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the ready dacquoise disks from the oven and let them cool.
- To make the buttercream, place egg yolks with the scraped vanilla seeds in a stand mixer bowl and whisk. In a saucepan, place water, honey (warm it up in a microwave for a few seconds in advance), and granulated sugar and bring to a boil. Once the syrup reaches 250 F/121 C, pour the sugar syrup into the egg yolks while whisking. Once the mixture cools down and becomes whitish, add the softened butter cubes, one at a time, and continue whisking till the cream becomes smooth and homogeneous.
- To assemble the cake, cut the dacquoise disks' edges with a knife to get the right circles. Cover the first dacquoise disk with the buttercream, sprinkle with toasted almonds. Place the second disk and repeat the operation. Finally, put with the third disk and cover the cake's top and edges with the buttercream. Sprinkle the cake all over with sliced almonds. Dust the top of the cake with icing (powdered) sugar. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Notes
- 300 g egg whites approximately equal to 9 raw fresh egg whites from large-sized chicken eggs.
- 112 egg yolks approximately equal to 6.5 raw fresh egg yolks from large-sized chicken eggs.
- Toast sliced almonds in the oven at 300 F/150 C for 15 minutes.
- Make sure to serve the cake at room temperature: take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 664
- Sugar: 47.6 g
- Sodium: 205 mg
- Fat: 45.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Carbohydrates: 59 g
- Fiber: 4.3 g
- Protein: 12.3 g
- Cholesterol: 173 mg
Keywords: almond cake, almond cake recipe, Italian almond cake, Italian almond cake recipe, torta Elvezia, Elvezia cake
The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.
The recipe was originally published on November 8, 2018. It has been revised to include improved content and photos. All the posted pictures are mine.
Ida Klaudiussen says
Hello 🙂 Have you tried to freeze this cake?
Irina says
I have never tried to freeze this Almond cake; however, since it is made of a few layers of dacquoise and buttercream, you can easily try to freeze the cake. My suggestion is that you would freeze it uncovered for about 6 hours. Then wrap the cake in a plastic film and keep it in the freezer. Before serving, bring the cake to the [regular] fridge for one to two hours, plus keep the cake 30 minutes out of the fridge.
Sara Welch says
Such a unique and unexpected dessert! I love the balance of crunchy and smooth; hands down, delicious!
★★★★★
Irina says
Thank you very much, Sara! I appreciate your comment.
Michelle says
I love almond cakes, and this one is amazing with all the various textures!
★★★★★
Irina says
It is so true about textures in this cake, Michelle. Thanks.
Dolly says
I love that this is gluten-free! Perfect for bringing to a party or for guests. It's nice to make sure gluten-free folks get a share of dessert too!
★★★★★
Irina says
Yes, it is always nice to serve a gluten-free dessert perfect for everyone. Please, enjoy the recipe, Dolly!
Tara says
Such a beautiful cake! It looks amazing with all the almonds, and I love the step-by-step photos.
★★★★★
Irina says
Thanks, Tara! Please, enjoy the recipe.
Gail Montero says
I actually thought it was Sans Rival - a huge favorite of mine, and since I love that, I will surely enjoy this Italian almond cake! I want some now!
★★★★★
Irina says
You are right, Gail! These two cakes are made with dacquoise disks, buttercream and sprinkled with nuts. The main difference is nuts: cashews are in Sans Rival and almonds - in this Italian cake. If you love Sans Rival, you will love this one as well. Please, enjoy it! 🙂
Annalene Kinghorn says
Hi, I tried this but am not sure about the texture of the discs. Mine is very soft? Is that how it is supposed to be, or should it be crispy?
Irina says
Hello Annalene, thanks for making the recipe. These almond dacquoise disks should be soft enough, not the crispy ones. I think you got the correct texture of the disks.
Marijana says
Hi, What does it mean to scale 1x, 2x, and 3x in a recipe?
Irina says
Hi Marijana, it means to double or triple the recipe, so the amounts of ingredients will be doubled or tripled. 1x is the original recipe as it is.