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Tartufo – Individual Birthday Cakes

Tartufo can be your next dessert or even birthday cake you’ll be dreaming of. It’s kinda like an ice cream cake with an Italian vibe.

The recipe below is made with love and a mascarpone ice cream fitting for tartufo individual cakes that you and party guests will love. 💗

Tartufo cake that has a special ice cream and surprise in the middle that can be served individual or shared for parties.

Tartufo is not a common dessert.

You don’t hear people talking about it much in everyday life, but this spumoni resembling one inside is a delicious party dessert! 🎉

As the name sounds, tartufo has Italian roots. Not only is it an ice cream cake, but it’s also a truffle or edible fungus.

And with a dome shape, it’s fitting for both.

It also has spreads its wings into other continents as others (like me) can’t resist…

And anyone who gets like a giddy birthday party girl over ice cream cake. 🎈

Tartufo cake inside with a cherry center.

Facts about Tartufo:

First off, tartufo is usually made with gelato, but the cheese ice cream (recipe below 👇) I think is as delish and simple to make…

The ice cream is made with mascarpone cheese and yogurt and didn’t need an ice cream maker.

Mascarpone is a smooth and creamy cheese that when frozen has an ice cream texture. It’s kinda like cream cheese but more smooth and less sticky.

And if you’re looking for a dairy-free version, a tartufo with spumoni ice cream made from coconut oil is another delicious option.

Either way, the sweet and fresh pairing flavors add a tasty-dreamy reality. If you’re looking for spring color inspiration, this dessert could be the one! 🌱

And in the middle, what makes a tartufo extra special is biting into the surprise center that’s often a cherry, like in a cherry cordial… where the effect is different than a cherry on top like on a sundae that’s usually eaten first or put to the side. 🍒

If a cherry alone excites you (like it does me)… then you may want to stop reading and start making this! 💕

And if you aspire to healthy desserts and low-sugar 🙋🏻‍♀️, the healthy ingredients include Greek yogurt, pistachios, Pandan, cherries, coconut oil, and honey…

So you’re getting adult ingredient tastes and low-sugar healthy sensibilities that good for longevity and especially if you follow an anti-inflammatory or Mediterranean diet.

And it’s not just the healthy dessert aspects you’ll love…  it’s an easy (no bake dessert recipe) to make that can easily be shared!

And the last bit that everyone will love is the hard chocolate shell that gives a dessert ice cream bar vibe that always put smiles on faces of all ages.

The best way to melt chocolate I have found works for this dessert too.

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Tartufo Dessert (Individual Dessert Serving)

This recipe is for a dessert plate to share for 1-2 people.
Course Dessert
Cuisine desserts
Author Brandy@HealthyHappyLifeSecrets

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, plain and unsweetened
  • 1/4 mascarpone
  • Pandan gel
  • 2 tbsp pistachios, chopped
  • extra pistachios, finely chopped for topping
  • 1 tbsp raw honey
  • 2 tbsp chocolate for top coating

Instructions

  • Mix mascarpone with chopped pistachios and a drop of pandan gel until you get a consistent green color.
  • Add plastic wrap inside your small bowl with an overhang for easy pullout so that the cheese doesn't stick to the bowl. Add the mascarpone cheese to the bowl. Freeze for at least 30 minutes. Then add a layer of the Greek yogurt that will be the bottom layer. Add the surprise cherry or sweet treat in the middle. Freeze again. Make your melted chocolate. Onto plate: drizzle honey at the bottom and add your tartufo.
  • Pour melted chocolate quickly ontop of the frozen tartufo, and add fine pistacho crumbles before the chocolate sets. Freeze again.
  • About 30 minutes before you're ready to eat and enjoy, bring out to room temps from the freezer. Serve and enjoy.

Healthy Fall Chocolate Cake (Gluten-Free)

Healthy fall chocolate cake like this reminds me of special events I planned. These type of individual cakes were always a hit!

The gooey oozing middle gluten-free chocolate cakes were served individually (as in no sharing!) in their own ceramic baking cups. They were called fallen chocolate souffles.

And they were made while guests were enjoying dinner, so there was a timing component. Luckily… for this decadent dessert, you can make them anytime to put smiles on faces whether it’s a wedding or a relaxing weekend. Most likely it’s the latter. 😊

The recipe below is a low-sugar, healthy chocolate cake made with gluten-free flour. 🧡

It’s a simple to make recipe and not complicated considering how satisfying they are.

Jump to Recipelow-sugar healthy fall chocolate cake served individually so they don't have to be shared.

And to show how relaxed you can be, I was in yoga rest pose  waiting for the baking to finish… that almost never happens as I’m busy in the kitchen with my hands.

And in catering, we never got off our feet… good shoes were a must as some events, we walked miles within our venue.

So the great cake turn out and mini yoga session in between was a nice surprise… we used to say “kill two birds with one stone.” Not sure who came up with that proverb as it sounds violent when the intent is you’re being productive and multi-tasking. 😊

And Savasana pose (pronounced Sh-avasana)  is a great Hatha yoga way to be productive to reset new intentions for the rest of this year, so you can enter your new year with a bang! 🎉

So while making this healthy fall chocolate cake, I was reminded how often we stand stationary with some kind of tool in front of us, whether it’s a standing desk computer or a kitchen tool like a mixer. Or we’re sitting all day. It’s often all or nothing.

If we measure our standing time vs. our sitting time, one day can be too much of either. And we often forget to add in some calming awake resting time.

So rest pose is a good balancing pose for this that’s relaxing and restorative and you can do on a daytime mat to get calm and peaceful.

Taking a few extra minutes to not rush around can revive your entire day. Those moments are enhanced when there’s no distraction like a computer or a television. Be in calm silence until your cake buzzer goes off.

Laying down, you’re looking at the ceiling or sky above you, or optionally you have your eyes closed.

The Savasana pose benefits are:

You’re almost like a frozen angel in the snow but not moving your arm wings up and down.

You notice any normal body twitches and sensations. You’re sensitized to your being and body.

Rested, your heart is also rested and your blood pressure drops in the seconds and minutes you’re in this pose. 

Not being in a hurry, all the tension is left behind at least for the minutes you’re in this calming pose.

You can eliminate temporary headaches as you think calm, positive, and happy thoughts. 

And as more minutes go by, you’ll also feel your body temperature drops especially if you’re the Vata or Kapha body type. Or if you’re leaning into Vata season and your Vata-ness!

This Savasana pose is commonly done as an ending close in an in-person Hatha or more relaxed yoga class.

And maybe even the teacher came around spritzing with a light lavender spray mist to get you in the mood of laying still and quieting the mind. How nice especially for the Pitta mind still running lists in the mind!

The lavender scent calms your mind and the fine mist feels like a refreshing soft touch. It’s a nice way to bring special joy to your day.

Laying stretched out without moving on a mat, you can do this pose anywhere that helps melt the stress away.

It gives you a few moments of peace (that can’t be emphasized enough) to gain your second wind and ground you for the rest of the day.

It’s good to remind yourself to slow it down.

And when your healthy fall chocolate cake baking timer goes off, you’re refreshed and ready!

A few Savasana Pose tips:

🌱Have a folded blanket near near you if you’re using props. Your body temperature drops, so you’ll want the comfort of a blanket or thin yoga top layer you peeled off earlier, especially if it’s typical fall or cooler season weather.

🌱Remember to breathe normally. You can pinpoint if your breath through your nose is naturally shallow or deep and could you use some sinus tips.

🌱Keep your phone off your mat! 😉 That’s one of the rules that will help with your balance of 80/20 real life vs. virtual world digital life.

Slowing down our tempo gives us advantages so we can keep up in the world with the all the busy chaos.

That’s what Savasana Pose can do as a good reset reminder.

We can make better lifestyle choices to live longer, happy quality lives.

And baking healthy chocolate cake can be one of those changes. 😋

And with that thought, I’ll leave you with two questions to think about:

At this point, what would make your year optimal? Idea: you can make an appointment with yourself in Shavasana Corpse pose to think about this.

And, what would help you to make your next year (or the rest of the year) brighter? Think of what change or improvements in you would make things different and better.

And in between noodling self-thoughts, you can make this healthy fall chocolate cake,

It’s simple to make and the timing will determine an oozy middle or a gooey center where either are good. The center is a good metaphor for centering yourself with new positive perspectives.

And if the first one flops, you can always (no sweat) make this again.

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Healthy Fall Chocolate Cake - Gluten-Free

This cake is all about timing. You don't want to bake too long so that you preserve the gooey goodness!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Author Brandy @ Healthy Happy Life Secrets

Equipment

  • muffin tin

Ingredients

  • 2 oz dark chocolate (70% cocoa for antioxidant-rich), melted
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1/8 cup monk fruit sugar (low glycemic index optional) or sugar
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 tbsp almond flour
  • 2 tbsp butter

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients together except gently fold in flour last. No leavening agents needed.
  • Bake at 350°F for about 12 minutes. Don't overbake for a gooey chocolate center!