And the journey ends 1, 818 km later in Rome and quite fittingly so. Frequent Lizzie McGuire movie flashbacks brought to light how far we’ve come since our elementary school days. We were no longer those mushroom capped adolescents “wonder[ing] what life was about,” but rather young adults who had just finished their first year in college. Now if you’re wondering where stracciatella comes into the mix, it’s all because Felicia got that stracciatella gelato cone from a food stand along the street. Guess were not so grown up after all, but here’s a dessert that is!

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Rome: Stracciatella

Tortoni Cake

Makes 4 servings (Recipe adapted)

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 1/2 cup almond flour, divided
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling:

• 1 large egg white, room temperature
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
• 2/3 cups heavy cream
• 1 tsp almond extract
• Pinch of salt
• 1 3/4 oz dark chocolate, shaved with a vegetable peeler
• Sliced almonds to garnish on top (toasted if desired)

For the coffee-chocolate sauce:

• 1 oz dark chocolate dip (leftover from the kiwi pops I made earlier this week)
• 2 tbsp hot coffee

Directions:

For the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread 1/4 cup almond flour on a baking sheet and toast for 5 minutes or until fragrant and toasted. Set aside and let cool.
2. Mix together almond flours (1/4 cup toasted + 1/4 cup untoasted) and melted butter and firmly press into a 5″ circular cookie cutter set as a mold atop a parchment lined plate. Freeze for 30 minutes or until firm.

For the filling:

1. Vigorously whisk egg white with sugar and cream of tartar in a metal bowl set over a pot of simmering water until the mixture reaches 170 F (a little before soft peak stage; if you let the mixture get too hot you’ll end up with cooked egg whites).
2. Remove bowl from pot and continue beating until the mixture holds stiff peaks.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat together heavy cream, almond extract, and a pinch of salt until the mixture holds stiff peaks. Fold in meringue in two installments, folding in chocolate shavings along with the second addition.
4. Spoon filling over crust into a smooth layer and sprinkle sliced almonds over top. Freeze uncovered for 3 hours or until firm.

For the sauce:

1. Melt chocolate with hot coffee and stir until smooth.

To serve:

1. Let the frozen cake stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. Cut around the edges of the cookie cutter using a sharp knife to loosen the cake from the mold. Use a spatula to gently press down on the cake while simultaneously lifting up the cookie cutter mold.
2. Drizzle with coffee-chocolate sauce and enjoy with your leftover coffee.