We All Scream For Ice Cream, Right? So What Happens With Ice Cream Dessert Cake?

An ice cream cake is one of those delights that impressed kids and adults alike. It's a lovely combination of soft, moist cake, rich chocolate, and frozen ice cream. The cake crumbs with the ice cream and the chocolate infuses with it, to create magical textures and flavors in the mouth. It's like you're gifting your guests a happy surprise. So follow this guide to make the most delicious ice cream dessert cakes and impress everyone.

Ingredients:

• 236 gm cake flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 85 gm unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 200 gm granulated sugar
• 80 gm sour cream (or plain yogurt/Greek yogurt), at room temperature
• 160 ml whole milk, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 50 gm sprinkles
• 960 ml ice cream

For the ganache topping:

• 113 gm quality semi-sweet chocolate bar, finely chopped
• 120 ml heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
• optional: sprinkles for garnish

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F or 177°C.

Grease a cake pan and set aside.

In a bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and whisk until fully combined.

In another bowl, add the butter, eggs, sugar, sour cream, milk and vanilla. Whisk until well combined.

Now pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, a little at a time. First add some, mix well, then add more. Continue this process until it is all mixed in.

Now fold in the sprinkles.

Pour the batter into the greased pan and bake for about an hour. The exact time will depend on the machine you're using. You’ll know it's done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Once baked, let the cake cool on a wire rack.

Once cooled, slice the cake into three layers horizontally.

Remove the ice cream from the freezer and let it soften at room temperature for 15 minutes. If you don't want to wait, pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds.

Now line the pan with parchment paper, with some overhanging from the sides. Place one layer of cake at the base. Then add an even layer of ice cream on top. Then add the next layer of cake and more ice cream. Finally, add the third layer of cake. Cover the pan with aluminium foil or plastic wrap and let it sit in the freezer overnight.

In the meantime, make the ganache. For that, place the chocolate in a bowl. Heat the cream in a double boiler over the stove. Don't let it come to a boil, simmering is enough. Then pour over the chocolate and mix until the chocolate melts and combines fully with teh cream.

Once it has frozen, remove the cake from the freezer. Remove from the pan using the overhang. Remove the parchment paper and place cake on a cutting board. Pour the ganache over it and spread evenly. Garnish with sprinkles if you choose to add them.

Slice with a sharp knife. Serve chilled.

Cover and store leftover cake in the freezer for a week.

Notes, tips and tricks:

If you want to prepare the ice cream cake ahead of time, you can prepare it a day or two in advance and store it in the freezer. It's best to add ganache when you're about to serve instead of letting it freeze on the cake. If the cake has been in the freezer for over 8 hours, let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes and then slice and serve. It will be easier to cut and eat.

It's best to use cake flour for a moist cake. But if you don't have it and can't find it anywhere, you can also use all purpose flour. However, the cake will be a bit dense with other flours.

It's best to use full fat sour cream and whole milk. If you don't have sour cream you can also use full fat plain yogurt, but the cake will be slightly less tender. Similarly, you can use a low fat, skimmed, or other milk, or even a non dairy alternative, but then the cake will be a bit tough.

You can use any flavor of ice cream but avoid using one with large chunks like brownie bits or chunks of fruit. Because the ice cream will be frozen and the cake will be very hard to slice if you come across a big chunk.