Ice Cream Cake (Anyway you Like It!)
This recipe is adapted from the Coconut Coffee Marbled Ice Cream Cake from Epicurious. For the crust, use a crisp chocolate cookie or wafer (gluten-free or regular). I’ve had success with everything from gluten-free chocolate animal crackers to crispy double chocolate chip cookies. For the ice cream filling, the sky’s the limit! I like to go with at least two flavors. Some of my favorite combinations include: mocha and coconut; coffee, vanilla and chocolate; salted caramel and tres leches; and peppermint bark and chocolate. The fudge topping is the real star (I upped the amount of salt and cut back on the butter from the original recipe). Just a note that while the cake comes together in under an hour, it needs at least an hour or two to chill. But the good news is that it can be made ahead of time, making it perfect for entertaining.
Servings: 10 -12
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- 8-12 ounces crisp chocolate cookies (or chocolate wafers, graham crackers or animal crackers), regular or gluten-free
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 3 pints ice cream (2-3 flavors of your choice), softened
- 6 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
- 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cocoa powder
- ¼ plus ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 ounces dark chocolate , finely chopped (about a heaping ¾ cup chopped)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ tablespoon butter , cut into pieces
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Spray a 9-inch springform pan lightly with cooking spray.
- Place the chocolate cookies in a food processor and process until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture looks damp. Scrape the crumbs into the springform pan and press them firmly over the bottom and about 1 ½ - 2-inches up the sides (a flat-bottomed measuring cup works great for this). Bake the crust until crisp, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 5 minutes, then pop it in the freezer until it’s completely chilled. Do Ahead: The crust can be made up to 1 week in advance. Wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap and freeze.
- Scoop the ice cream into the cooled crust, alternating flavors. Smooth out the top with an offset spatula. Place the pan back in the freezer. Freeze until solid, about 1 hour. Do Ahead: At this point the cake can be frozen for up to 1 week. Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap before freezing.
- In a small saucepan, combine the heavy cream, corn syrup, brown sugar, cocoa powder, salt and half the chocolate. Place the saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the chocolate is melted and smooth and the mixture is bubbling along the edges. Remove the pan from the heat and add the vanilla, butter and the remaining chocolate. Stir until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Do Ahead: The fudge sauce can refrigerated for up to 1 week. Reheat before using.
- Pour the fudge sauce over the cake and spread with an offset spatula to evenly coat. Pop the cake back into the freezer for a few minutes to set. Do Ahead: The finished cake can wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and frozen for up to 2 days.