My First Attempt at an Ice Cream Cake

I always like to challenge myself and this past weekend was no different. I’ve always wanted to try to make an ice cream cake but never got around to it and since it was Memorial Day weekend, I thought it was a perfect time to give it a go.

My husband smoked a pork shoulder for a big bbq feast on Sunday and I wanted to make a dessert that would match up with the tastiness!

I made my new favourite chocolate cake from Barefoot Contessa on Saturday and then had to take a break.  Sadly my back has decided to give out on me again and so I can only work on stuff a little at a time.

Sunday we went strawberry picking. Ok, the girls picked and I watched.  But we scored quite a few!  I decided that our cake needed a strawberries and cream layer.

Putting it together:

1. First off, you need a spring form pan.  That’s a pan that you can take the sides off with a clip.
2. Bake 3 thin layers of cake.  I weighed my batter and then divided into 10 oz each.
3. I used Bryers Vanilla ice cream, take it out and left soften about 10 minutes.
4. In the spring form pan place the first layer of cake down.
5. Scoop ice cream onto cake layer and smooth out.
6. Top with another cake layer and put into freezer to firm up.
7. While the cake is freezing up, slice strawberries, whip cream and make some ganache.
8. Remove cake from freezer and pour some ganache over cake.  Then cover with sliced strawberries and whipped cream and the final layer of cake.
9. Put back into freezer until ready to serve.
10. With the remaining ganache, whip up using a hand blender until fluffy.
11. When ready to serve, remove cake from freezer and cover with the fluffy ganache.
12. Slice and serve!
13. Enjoy!

Now my biggest issue was covering the entire with icing.  Most store bought ice cream cakes use a full shortening icing that doesn’t freeze.  I CAN’T DO THAT, WON’T DO THAT.  So I only covered the top.  I liked the rustic look it had and without the icing, wasn’t that sweet, which I prefer!

Was this good?  OMG yes!

Should you attempt?  Absolutely!

It’s a little time consuming but really, what cake isn’t?

thanks for looking!

Treat Day Wednesday–Chocolate Chip Ice-cream Sandwiches

Oh yeah, it’s the coldest it’s been all winter (22F or –5.5) and the girls decided that we should make ice cream sandwiches.  Yes, I know, my kids are strange.

I’ve never tried making homemade vanilla ice cream before for two reasons.  One I’m lazy and it seems s involved and two, it’s my favourite flavoured ice cream and I’d probably eat it all.  But alas my kids asked and I’m weak to their treat day requests, so I made vanilla bean ice cream.

Oh but where to start.  My friend Google never lets me down, so one quick search led me to one of my most favourite blogs. David Lebovitz’s wonderful food blog is oh so witty and has taught me some amazing new things.  So when I saw his ice cream recipe come up first, I didn’t think twice and OMG it is to die for.

Then I made my standard chocolate chip cookie recipe and took two of the cookies and put some of the ice cream between and voila, home made ice cream sandwiches.

Super fun and super tasty!

Recipe: Vanilla Bean Ice Cream as adapted from David Lebovitz

• 1 cup milk
• A pinch of salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 5 large egg yolks

1. In medium saucepan, heat the milk, salt, sugar and vanilla bean paste until it starts to boil.  Remove from heat and let sit until cool.
2. Place cream in a bowl and place in an ice bath.  Set aside.
3. Pour milk mixture through a sieve to remove any solid pieces.
4. Whisk eggs and slowly add the milk and continue until completely combined.  Place on medium heat and continue to stir until the custard starts to thicken. 
5. Once thickened, strain into cream and combine. 
6. Place in fridge and chill overnight.
7. Place into ice cream machine and freeze as per machines directions.

Then make  your favourite chocolate chip cookies.  Or use my recipe found here just use chocolate chips instead of white chips.  Place a dollop of ice cream on one cookie and sandwich with another.

These are so so so good and as my sister says, ice cream is a year round treat!

Thanks for looking!

Treat Day Wednesday–Blueberry Ice cream

A day late and a pint short!  (pun intended) :)  Sorry, life got in the way yesterday but I’m here and this is what we had!

Every time I make ice cream or just eat ice cream, I always seem to have the ice cream song in my head!  I love this part of summer, not the heat or the humidity. I know I live in the hottest place ever!

So for yesterday’s treat I used up the rest of the blueberries we picked and went with a classic.  Blueberry Ice Cream!  I also get to use my awesome ice cream maker which I think I’ve used 4 times in the year I’ve owned it (hangs head in shame).

This is a super easy recipe.

• 2 cups fresh blueberries (I’m sure you can use frozen)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp water
• 2 cups half and half cream
• 1 cup blueberries

1. In large saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar and water. 
2. Bring to boil.
3. Once sugar is dissolved, pours blueberry mixture through a sieve and discard skins and seeds.
4. Let cool a bit, add 1 cup blueberries and the cream.  Mix gently and store in fridge overnight.
5. Pour into ice cream maker and use as directed.
6. Store in air tight container in freezer for up to a week.
7. Enjoy!

I can’t even begin to tell you how amazing this flavour is.  The whole blueberries are little frozen pops of awesomeness (yes that’s a word).  I couldn’t get Rowan from sticking her fingers in it when it came out of the ice cream maker.  And the thought of having to wait until it really firmed up in the freezer almost killed her (and me a little bit).  Then of course life got in the way and I forgot about it until my mother called and asked if everything was ok because my Treat Day post wasn’t up…oops! Ah well, the trials and tribulations of a blogger who is also a stay at home mom. Sometimes the floors need to be washed,  laundry done and kids fed before you can sit down at the computer to write a post.  So here I am on Thursday morning doing just that!

Hope everyone has an awesome day and you totally need to make this!

Thanks for looking!

I’ve linked to these awesome parties

Treat Day Wednesday–Strawberry Ice Cream

What to do, still so many strawberries.

I SCREAM

YOU SCREAM

WE ALL SCREAM FOR …

ICE CREAM!

Now I’ve never made proper ice cream before.  I made chocolate ice last year that was beyond amazing but I’ve never taken the time to make a proper custard.  So with all these strawberries, it was time to take the time!  I went on the hunt for the easiest recipe and let me tell you that was no easy find.  They were all a bit different, with slight variations.  I decided to use one of my go-to recipe sites, Epicurious.com.  The only thing I would change would be to add bigger pieces of strawberry to the mix.

Recipe: adapted from Epicurious.com

• 1 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 1 tbsp pure vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 lb strawberries (3 cups), trimmed and quartered
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1. Combine cream, vanilla, and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat.
2. Put eggs with sugar in a bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until combined, then add hot cream in a slow stream. Pour back into saucepan and cook over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened and an instant-read thermometer registers 170°F (do not let boil).
3. Immediately pour custard through a fine sieve into a metal bowl. Chill, covered about 2 hours, and up to 1 day.  You can also place bowl in a ice bath to speed up the cooling process.
4. While custard is chilling, purée strawberries and lemon juice in a blender until smooth, then force through fine sieve (to remove seeds). Stir purée into custard.
5. Freeze in ice-cream maker, then transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden.
6. Enjoy!

Now I’m so not a fan of strawberry ice cream, at least bought from the store. There is just something so icky about strawberry flavouring, it always tastes so phony.  Now this ice cream tastes just like the berries we picked right off the vine.   It’s so fresh and if you make it, I can guarantee it won’t last long.  Especially if your husband’s favourite ice cream flavour is strawberry.

Thanks for looking!

Linking with:
Cast Party Wednesday
Mrs Fox's Sweets Party
Taking a Time Out