Triple Chocolate Ice Cream Cake {Recipe}

My sweet little boy got his tonsils and adenoids removed the week before Easter.
So, I decided I would try to make it a little easier for him to enjoy the Easter goodies by making an ice cream cake.
(I did not, however, get great pictures of the finished product because of the recovering child, and a family that was rather eager to dig in!)
 

I'd never made one before, and I have to say, even though it wasn't exactly easy or quick, it wasn't really hard either. It just takes some pre-planning. In order to get everything ready, you need to plan to get the pieces in the freezer at least a day ahead of time.

What You Need:
The recipes for each of these is linked or posted below
Chocolate Cake (homemade or from a mix)
Chocolate Ice Cream (homemade or store bought)
Chocolate Fudge Sauce (homemade or store bought)
Whipped Cream Frosting
Toppings:
 Go nuts! Sprinkles, crushed up candy, mini chocolate chips, crushed Oreos, fresh fruit, etc.


Make the Cake

Honestly, for this, I had read that making a scratch cake, while wonderful, is a little overkill for an ice cream cake because you don't get a whole ton of cake flavor from it. So, I doctored up a chocolate cake mix. Although, I really do love my Favorite Chocolate Cake Recipe, so if I'd have had more time, I may have gone for that.

I made the cake about two days ahead of time. I baked an 8"x3" round cake, which was more than I needed. Baking just one typical 8" cake layer would be enough, I think.
Wrap the cake well in plastic wrap, and freeze it before assembly. (That makes it easier to pick it up and move it around.)

Make the Ice Cream

Even if you're not making your own ice cream, you need to "shape" the ice cream into cake-sized disks a day or so ahead of time. (If you're using store-bought ice cream, skip below the homemade ice cream recipe.)

Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream Recipe:
(Yield: about 1 quart)
2 cups half-and-half
4 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate
Optional:
1 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder

In a medium-sized saucepan, heat the half-and-half over medium heat until bubbles just form along the sides of the pan.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, vanilla and sugar.

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat the cream for about 30 seconds or until hot to the touch, but not boiling. Add the chocolate (and cocoa powder, if desired), and let set for about 30 seconds. Whisk until it is a smooth, dark, yummy chocolate.

When the half-and-half is warmed, slowly add about 1/2-1 cup of the warmed half-and-half into the egg yolk mixture, whisking the entire time, to keep the yolks from curdling.
Then, pour the now slightly warmed egg yolk mixture very slowly back into the half-and-half that remains on the stove, again whisking the entire time. Add the chocolate mixture, again whisking the entire time.

Bring this custard mixture up to 160-degrees. Remove from the heat and  cool until lukewarm.
Pour into a food storage container, and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

Mix with an ice cream maker until it is the consistency of soft-serve ice cream.

Create Ice Cream Layers

To create your ice cream layers, you need to make little "cakes" of ice cream to stack with the actual cake layers.
If you're using store-bought ice cream (which is really, really, totally fine), set the ice cream out of the freezer, and stir it often for 30-45 minutes or until it becomes soft-serve ice cream consistency.
If you're using the homemade kind... you would do this straight out of the ice cream maker.

Line a cake pan (the same size you used for your cakes) with plastic wrap. I made it like a + with one long sheet horizontally and one vertically.
Pour or spoon the ice cream into the pan, and spread as evenly as possible. You may want to tap the cake pan bottom, gently, on the counter top to help even the layer.

Wrap the plastic wrap around the ice cream layer, and set on a level place inside your freezer. (Finding some place level was a challenge in my freezer!) Allow to freeze solid- overnight would be best!

Now, truth be told, the OCD in me had a hard time wrapping this layer in plastic wrap knowing the sides and top would then be bumpy. However, in the end, it was not a big deal because you have to trim the sides anyway, and the top/bottom kind of melts into the cake or the fudge.

Make the Fudge Sauce

Okay, this sauce is FANTASTIC! I got the recipe-- with a few small changes thanks to what I had on-hand from the amazing website How to Frost a Cake.)

I used an icing comb to add the cool ridges around the sides, but you could also cut shapes into an index card and run it around the sides like you see on this blog post from iambaker.
At this point, I recommend putting the cake back in the freezer yet again for about 15 minutes.

Spread a layer of fudge sauce on the top. Pipe shells around the top, and along the bottom edge. I used the big cupcake tip, #1M, for these shells.
Now, if my little guy wasn't sick, I would have also added some fun, colorful sprinkles around the edge. Everyone loves sprinkles!

I served this with my toppings on the side... I did some crushed up candy canes (my favorite), and some chopped peanuts, some chopped Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and some finely diced strawberries (my healthy little guy's favorite).
Again, sorry for the lack of great pictures of the finished product.

I recommend taking the cake out of the freezer about 15-20 minutes before serving. Use a big, sharp knife to cut this cake. It is not easy to get through the thick layers of cake.

I can honestly say this was a HUGE hit. Rarely do my in-laws go back for seconds with my desserts. They have willpower when it comes to sweets... unlike me. They all went back for more. Even though, it is rich! That fudge sauce is amazingly rich! Whew!

I have a feeling more ice cream cakes will be to follow!! Stay tuned. (And maybe I'll get better pictures next time.)

Click the Links Below to See:
Amazing Chocolate Cake Recipe
Other Chocolate Recipes and Ideas
More Summer Recipes and Ideas

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