Recipe for the month: Ice Cream Cake



I recently discovered the diversity in making an ice cream cake…. It can be made with the actual cake and without…. Different layers of flavor…. Chocolate bits for crunch and texture…. Cookie bits in between… whipped cream … and for a crowning glory some warm chocolate sauce!!! Insane and Amazing right??

Well this is the kind of cake to make for summer and you can use your imagination and come up with your own combo!! All it requires is a little bit of hard work and some adventure spirit! And yes it is a little time consuming but totally worth it! And I am so glad I made this for a couple who are special to me and my husband, who stood by us and who went out of the way to be there for us…. this was my way of showing my gratitude…

 

 

So let’s move on to this adventurous recipe…

Ingredients

Chocolate cake (already baked and ready) or any other flavor cake

2 of your favorite flavored ice cream (I used Baskin Robins Chocolate ice cream and Häagen Daaz Salted Carmel ice cream) - softened

Chocolate of your choice finely chopped (I used Twix and Ferrero Rocher… even though my preference was peanut butter cups)

2/3 cup heavy or whipping cream

                                    

1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

6 ounces milk or dark chocolate, chopped (I used chocolate chips),

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coloured Sprinkles

 

Method

Bake your favorite cake… If you wish to bake chocolate cake, click here for the recipe.

Make Fudge Sauce: In a heavy saucepan, bring cream, sugar, cocoa, salt and half the chocolate to a boil. Reduce to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in remaining chocolate, butter and vanilla extract and stir until smooth. As it cools it will thicken up. So keep it aside to cool.

Choose a springform pan or loaf tin lined with overhanging cling film or parchment paper to pull the cake up and out of the pan. Here I used loaf tin.

Once the cake is baked and cooled, slice it into 3 layers, approximately 2 cms.

Now it is time to layer the cake. Layer the tin first with cake. Top it with caramel ice cream. And then sprinkle your favorite chocolate. I used finely chopped Twix bars. Then layer it again with cake. And generously top this with chocolate ice cream. And again with the last layer of cake and top again with chocolate ice cream. Now to top with some goodness….  Sprinkle mildly crushed Ferrero Rocher chocolates and pour the cooled chocolate fudge sauce over it and scatter some coloured sprinkles. Finally cover it with cling film and freeze.

Just before serving, if you have any chocolate fudge left you can pour it over. Am sure no one is going to turn down the extra fudge… trust me ;).

Enjoy and I hope you get to make this!! So choose your own adventure… incorporate your own flavours … there is no way it can go wrong….If you do try please keep me posted on how it turns out!!

Notes

·         You can make ahead so don’t keep this for last minute.

·         If you want to skip cake, you can use chocolate cookie crumbs.

·         You can add raisins or nuts instead of chocolate bits.

·         A couple of minutes before you assemble the cake leave your ice cream out to soften a bit.

·         Cheat tip: if you don’t have time to make cake and chocolate fudge sauce, buy readymade cake and sauce and just assemble ;)

·         Leftover cake can be stored in the freezer in an airtight container.

·         To make it even more decadent, you can top this cake with whipped cream as well!!

All Images are clicked by me