Florence is the city of delicious foods. In food blogs, we hear about the pizzas, pastas, and gelato of Florence. However, there is more to the food of Florence than just those three things. Today I am going to look at the more sweet side of the items one should try while in Florence. So after doing some online research from accredited reviewers and trip advisory sites, I went to one of the top cafés in Florence for a sweet treat. Gran Caffe San Marco has many dinning options from to-go sandwiches to culinary pizzas. But this time I focused on the giant sweets display case that runs on both sides of the café.

Italian desserts can be comprised of many different cakes, tarts, and pastries. There is an art to baking an Italian dessert. It is a skill that must be developed over time and with practice. You can see this especially in the pastry. One of the most famous and difficult to make is sfogliatella or lobster tail. They are crunchy on the outside thanks to the leaves created by the separating puff pastry. It is stuffed with a delicate and vanilla pastry cream that allows you to just enjoy the differences in texture instead of a possibly over powering filling.  Pastry chefs have cried while trying to assemble this dessert and Gran Caffe had not only medium size lobster tails but petite  lobster tails that could eaten in two bites. (I went with this option because I had a full Italian lunch before arriving at the café.)

The next dessert that one should try at Gran Caffe is the cannoli. Cannoli are hard to make. They need a unique batter and the right oil at the right temperature. You need the crunchy exterior with the signature bubbles and filled with creamy ricotta. You also can’t forget the ends dipped in nuts, chocolate chips, or other flavorful tidbits. So when I say this is a proper cannoli and you won’t be disappointed, go ahead and put your order in. You can thank me later.

The last thing I would try is any of the tarts. It could be baby or petite size. What matters isn’t the size. It is the fillings and crust that make the perfect round out for this dessert sampling. I personally choose the chocolate crust with lemon curd filling. The curd was punchy and the chocolate was sweet. I was sad they didn’t candied the lemon slice so I just put the slice off to the side since I don’t like a straight sour bite. It was good and the perfect ending.

Gran Caffe San Marco was the perfect spot for an Italian treat you can’t find on every corner. Plus, the location is by the famous museum that houses the David statue by Micheal Angelo. You can’t go wrong in stopping into Gran Caffe San Marco the next time you are in Florence.