Ice Cream Cake With Hot Fudge Sauce, A Guest Post And Fiesta Friday #122

This is a very special post, first of all it’s a guest post for my dear friend Cheryl of Cheryl “Cheffie Cooks” Wiser. Now if you don’t know Cheryl, in a nutshell she is Super Woman, mother of 5 (including twins), she has 9 (yes NINE) blogs that she keeps up with daily. I can barely manage one, how does she do it, like I said she is Super Woman. Well, Cheryl is going away on a much needed family vacation and has asked some of her friends to do guest posts, I am honored and thrilled to be the first guest post while Cheryl is away. She lives in Florida and her recipes are family friendly, simple, tasty and are made with readily available ingredients. I also have to mention that she has published 1477 (maybe more now) recipes on the Tasty Kitchen website. Visit Cheryl and her 9 blogs, you will be amazed as I am and she is one of the nicest people you will meet.

I wanted to make dessert, a cake,the first cake in theory would have been great but it flopped big time and went straight to the circular file if you know what I mean, as I lamented my failure I got an email from the editors at Food 52, my recipe for Brooklyn Blackout Semifreddo Cake is going to be in their new Ice Cream cookbook, what an incredible honor, it gave me an idea, an Ice Cream Cake will be the perfect dessert. I used the same sponge cake recipe for the blackout cake but instead of a semifreddo I decided to just use ice cream from the supermarket. Lazy, maybe but it’s ok it’s still delicious. You can use what ever ice cream you like, homemade is wonderful but if not, buy your favorite flavors. It is served with a rich, thick warm hot fudge sauce that I like to spike with kahlua, that is purely optional of course but it’s really good.

This special ice cream cake is going to be rushed (before it melts) over to Angie’s for Fiesta Friday #122. This week’s co hosts are Mollie @ The Frugal Hausfrau and Aruna @ Aharam

Chocolate Sponge Cake

Makes 1 large (10-inch) loaf cake plus extra scraps

• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 8 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place milk and butter in a glass measuring cup and microwave for 45 seconds, or until the butter is melted. Using a stand mixer with the wire whisk attachment (or a hand-held electric mixer), whip the eggs and sugar on medium-high for approximately 8 minutes, or until the mixture is pale yellow, tripled in volume, and thick.
2. With the machine still running, slowly add the heated milk and butter. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Fold it into the egg mixture; there should be no lumps. Fold in the vanilla.
3. Grease a 1/2 sheet pan, line with parchment, grease the parchment, and sprinkle with sugar or dust with flour. Pour batter into the pan, spread so that it is evenly distributed, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes in the pan, then run a knife or flexible offset spatula around the edges to loosen. Invert onto a wire rack, remove parchment, and let cool completely.

Hot Fudge Sauce:

4 oz milk chocolate cut into pieces

4 oz dark chocolate cut into pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tbs vanilla extract( or optional 2 tbs kahlua coffee liquor)

Place chocolate pieces in mixing bowl, bring cream almost to a boil, scalding. Pour over the chocolate and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth and creamy, add the vanilla or optional kailua if like

Assembling the cake:

2 pints of your favorite ice cream flavors softened. I used Il laboratorio del Gelato brand (made right here in NYC, it’s amazing),the flavors are malt and bourbon pecan.

The cake should be cut into rectangular slices that will fit snuggly into the loaf pan, I used a 10 in pan and cut three 5×9 1/2 inch slices, make sure to save the scraps.  Line the pan with plastic wrap with enough overhang so that it will cover the top of the cake.

Soften the ice cream so that it is spreadable consistency. Place first layer of cake at the bottom of the pan add ice cream and smooth. If the ice cream is melting place in freezer between layers. Add another layer on top of the ice cream and repeat. Place top layer of cake on, cover with plastic wrap and place in freezer all day or overnight or at a minimum 2-4 hours. NOTE: I use a pint of ice cream in between each layer

To serve, take the cake out of the freezer about 10-15 minutes before serving. Slice and spoon some of the hot fudge sauce on top.