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DANIEL BERMAN

Leaf Picks

California

The Capri Collection

from Mammamia

They’re not just good for being edibles – they’re just delicious, period.

When it comes to sweets, admittedly, I fall squarely in the pro-cake camp. I especially love more savory varieties (like olive oil cakes) that you can add sweet elements to – kicking them up a notch. Enter Mammamia, whose new Capri Collection of edible cakes is inspired by two iconic Italian desserts. 

The cakes were created by Los Angeles-based Italian chef Simone D’Antonio, who grew up as the son of a chef and trained at Italy’s most prestigious culinary school, ALMA. He also earned his chocolatier’s degree at Accademia Cioccolatieri, honed his craft at Sud (a Michelin-star restaurant in Naples) and founded an Italian bistro in Bali named Zibiruan – which now has eight locations.

The Capri Collection includes the Torta Caprese, which is basically a flourless chocolate cake, and the Torta Bianca – another flourless cake consisting of lemon and white chocolate. Unlike the classic recipes, which were developed on the Italian island of the same name over 100 years ago, these adaptations are vegan and don’t include butter. These versions also happen to include infused ice water hash – a far departure from the original. 

I enjoyed the Caprese the most, mainly because it combines my two favorite flavors: chocolate from the cacao, and orange in the form of a dried slice placed on top of the cake. If I think about it a little harder, though, it also includes a third favorite flavor: the faint taste of Cannabis from the hash. Being able to actually taste the plant is a serious marker of quality in a world of legal edibles awash in THC distillate, which to me produces a very one-note high that isn’t nearly as pleasurable as something more full spectrum. And citrus lovers will also delight in the Bianca version, which is bright and lemony and transports the taste buds of those eating it to the island of Capri itself, where lemons and sunshine rule.

What I like most about the cakes is that they’re not just good for being edibles – they’re just delicious, period. As a big fan of these types of desserts, I found that I saved these round cakes (which come two per box and are about the size of the bottom of a soda can) for after-dinner experiences when I genuinely wanted a satisfying dessert. 

Mammamia’s Capri Cakes are a sorely needed addition to the legal edibles market currently dominated by gummies. I understand their popularity, considering gummies are favored for medicinal applications and are a more discreet, turnkey way to consume Cannabis without much fanfare. But edibles are food and food should be delicious … why shouldn’t we have both in one product? Thankfully, there’s a cake for that.

This article was originally published in the May 2022 issue of California Leaf.

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