{Meringue Gelato Cake}

This is classic Nigella, its lush yet easy, its impressive yet foolproof, it is delicious, dead set 100% delicious.


...meringue gelato cake
300ml double cream
30g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
1 tbsp liqueur (I used kahlua)
100g shop-bought meringue nests
raspberries and strawberries to serve

...chocolate sauce
250ml double cream
125g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
1 tbsp liqueur (optional, again I used kahlua)


Line a loaf tin with gladwrap making sure you have enough overhang to fold over the top later.

Whip the cream until thick but still soft. Chop the chocolate very finely so that you have a pile of chocolate splinters, fold them into the cream along with the liqueur and the meringues which you crush into crumble with your hands.

Pack this mixture into the prepared loaf tin, pressing it down with a spatula as you go, and bring the gladwrap up and over to seal the top, then get out more gladwrap to wrap around the whole tin. Freeze until solid, which should take around 8 hours, or overnight.

To make the chocolate sauce pour the cream into a saucepan and add the finely chopped chocolate.  Put over a gentle heat and whisk as the chocolate melts, taking the pan off the heat once the chocolate is almost all melted. 

If the mixture gets too hot, the chocolate will seize, whereas it will happily continue melting in the warm cream off the heat.
Add the liqueur, still off the heat, and whisk again, pour into a pretty jug, whisking every now and again until it cools to just warm.

To serve, unwrap the outer layer of plastic wrap, then unpeel the top and use these bits of long overhanging wrap to lift out the ice-cream brick. Unwrap and unmould it onto a serving plate, cut the frozen meringue cake into slabs. I like to zig-zag a little chocolate sauce over each slice, and add a sprinkle of fresh berries.