Ice cream....cake!???

How can you bake ice cream in a cake!? is the question I am always asked when I blah on about how wonderful this concoction of mine is to any of my friends. Heehee...well. The name IS a little deceptive I freely admit. As the only thing at all cakeish about this cake is the fact it is, well, a cake shape. Unfortunately my friends, even Ganache-Elf hasn't worked out how to bake icecream in a acake just yet. But before you turn away from my blog in disgust, just have a look at this recipe. And yes, please, do give it a go. You won't regret it - I PROMISE you. Yes, I know it's not as cool as actually being able to boast that you actually DID bake ice cream into a cake. But I can assure you now the taste of this will make you forget all that. This is going to be one of the most amazing and heavenly desserts you will ever, ever taste...




Now the sauce IS optional, of course. But is there really, if you think about it, anything more heavenly then pouring a warm, golden sauce over ice cream and seeing all start to seductively melt and merge together...? Need I say anymore... ;)

Ingredients.... (but remember the golden rule...you can add MORE to this ;) :) But these are the ESSENTIAL ingredients in my view so try to remember to add these to your shopping basket. ;)

• 1 litre tub of your favourite ice cream flavour. (I usually use either vanilla, honeycomb, raspberry ripple, or Neapolitan...but it's pretty much up to you...everyone has their own favourite ;)
• 150 g or more (no less ;) ) bourbon cream biscuits. (it's about half a pack? :o )
• 150 g milk chocolate, chopped into chunks/chips. 
• 2 regular-sized Crunchie bars.

Hmmmmmm...and now what else can potentially be added??

• Well, usually I like to throw in some Maltesers (about half a big pouch, you know the ones you are supposed to "share"? (yeah, right. ) or maybe some Minstrels/Rolos/Munchies/Chocolate Buttons/Cadbury Nibbles etc etc etc. Or a mix...it all depends on what you have in your cupboard/secret stash ;)
• And also I sometimes vary the type of chocolate I put in for the chips...sometimes I like to have white chocolate and milk chocolate chips...so half a big bar of Milky bar gets thrown in there too with the milk choc ;)
• And smashed up flakes/ripples/twirls occasionally find themselves twirled about in the mix as well. ;) 
• Also, I sometimes like to add more biccies too...along with the bourbons, I'v added half a pack of chocolate digestives in the past...and once, yes, double stuff oreos. Now that really IS pure indulgence. But boy does it taste good. ;)

You will also need a 20 cm cake tin - it's best to use a springclip one for this, or one with a removable bottom, for ease of releasing your ice cream cake from its "mould". ;)  

And for the butterscotch sauce? Well all you need for that is...

• 160 ml single cream
• 160 g light brown soft sugar
• 50 g butter, diced
• 2 tsp vanilla extract/essence

And now...let's make some magic happen. ;) No excuses now: I don't have the time, I'm no good at baking etc - nope, none of those are applicable in this context I'm afraid my friends. For yes you DO have the time (this takes so, so quick to make...to be honest it's the actual waiting for it to harden up in the freezer which is the the most time-consuming step (and the most painfully excruciating, of course... ;) ) And even if you say you aren't good at baking (which I am pretty certain is not true...I'm of the opinion that no one can be "bad" at baking...it's just all a matter of practice as is the case with so many other things too ;) )...well believe me, there is absolutely nothing difficult at all in the process outlined below. All that's involved, essentially, is a bit of smashing, chopping, mixing...and, err, waiting. Poo! (But that stage can be skipped of course. You then just wouldn't have, well, that tidy cake shape. But if you are like me and are of the opinion that melted, runny ice cream is one of God's gifts to mankind? Well...you get the idea. 

Anyway, let us proceed on to the recipe..and instant fame and reverence for you, the icecreamcakemaker, amongst all those incredibly fortunate individuals that you are going to share this gorgeous creation with. If that's what you intend on doing, of course... (another advantage of ice cream cake making...there's no fear that it's going to go mouldy or stale or whatever, hence removing the pressure to use it up as soon as possible, and distribute it amongst friends, family etc. So yes, you could make it just for yourself, though be prepared to put up with extremely guilty feelings for keeping such a divine dessert secret from your nearest and dearest... ;) 

Method :)

• Line your cake tin well with cling film.
• Take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften slightly (but don't let it melt completely!!) while you set about preparing the other ingredients.
• Crush the biscuits in freezer bags with a rolling pin or a big wooden spoon. 
• Crush the Crunchie bars: you can either do this in freezer bags with the biscuits or simply crush them still in their wrappers ( just be very careful when you open them...wouldn't it be a terrible thing to lose any of that lovely rubble. :o )
• tip the softening ice cream into a big mixing bowl. (don't just throw away that tub though: they are ever so handy, I find, in storing cakes/biccies/nibbles etc. ;) 
• Tip in all the other ingredients for the cake: the chocolate, the crushed biccies, the Crunchies, Maltesers etc. Then mix it all together with a big spoon. 
• Tip the mixture into the tin and smooth the top. (Note to those who do not want to wait/who have a heart like Ganache-Elf's which literally...well, melts when it comes to melted ice cream. : you don't need to proceed any further at this point...you can go and get your spoon/eating utensil. But for those of you who do want an actual ice cream CAKE, please read on.
• Put the tin into the freezer to harden slightly. In my freezer, an hour usually would suffice. It all depends on the coldness of your freezer and how hard/perfectly-shaped you would like the finished outcome to be ;)
• When you think the cake is nearly ready/you think you have waited well long enough, you can now, if you feel so inclined, make the butterscotch sauce. (and again, I would just like to stress that all those excuses as I mentioned above won't work here either...this is sooo quick and easy to make too so please don't be shy. ;)
• Measure all the ingredients for the sauce into a small saucepan and place on a very low heat until the butter has melted. Turn the heat up to low-medium, stirring occasionally, until a few bubbles appear on the surface. 
• Simmer very gently for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be very careful it doesn't spit as you as toffee leaves quite a nasty burn. :(
• Take off the heat and leave it for about 5 mins to cool slightly. And now...now you are almost ready...
• Take the icecreamcake out of the freezer and tip it gently out onto a large plate. carefully take off the clingfilm. And there, ta-da....you've done it. Be proud. ;)
• You might need to leave it to soften for about 5 minutes if the ice cream has become very hard as cutting rock-hard ice cream is rather tricky as I am sure you know. Anyway, once it's soft enough, cut into triangles with a big knife and serve with generous spoonfuls of beautiful butterscotch drizzled/slathered/poured on top. Ahhhhh...bliss. ;)

Note on amounts: It's hard to say exactly how much this will serve...as often I find people do tend do go back for seconds...so do take that into account ;) but roughly, I would say aim for about 6...(if you are planning on sharing that is. ;) xxxx

Caramel square time...

Now…WHO doesn’t like caramel squares?? Or millionaire’s shortbread, I have sometimes heard them called. Yesterday we had an egg shortage in the house, and I, in a bit of panic for we were equally as short on biscuits, peered hopefully into the baking cupboard, praying that I had in a can of condensed milk: that super sweet milky concoction which I have always used in caramel making. And yes, lurking in the very back, was the small squat can that I required. So...I couldn't make cookies or anything with eggs, but thankfully, no eggs are used in millionaire's shortbread.

 A few hours later… well no, I was not permitted to eat these warm – that’s one of the annoying things about caramel square making. Unfortunately, one must be patient and allow the caramel and the shortbread to cool before consumption. As for the melted choc, it’s advised to let that set too before cutting, but I have often broken this rule. ;)

I am sure that recipes for these are pretty easy to get hold of, but just in case you have taken a particular attachment to ones featured in the pic, here is my own recipe :) it's a good one, anyway, and I am of the belief that good recipes are MADE to be shared. 

Ingredients.

For the shortbread...

• 175 g plain flour
• 55 g caster sugar
• 100 g butter, at room temperature.

For the caramel...

• a 400 g tin of condensed milk.
• 55 g caster sugar (golden caster sugar if you have it in is great for caramel, but normal white works fine too :) )
• 100 g butter 

And 75 g milk chocolate (well, that's the MINIMUM amount I suggest ;) ) for the top.

You also need a 20 cm deep square cake tin, greased and lined with baking paper.

Method.

• Make the shortbread first. Preheat the oven to 170c/fan oven 150c. Sieve the flour into a bowl. Dice the butter into little cubes and add to the flour. Rub in lightly with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
• Gently mix the mixture with your hands until it begins to clump together, but don't worry too much about bringing it completely together into a dough. Transfer it then to the prepared tin. Bake for about 15-20 mins, until pale golden: but be careful not to let it get brown. Leave it to cool in the tin while you make the caramel layer.
• Pour the condensed milk into a small saucepan and add the sugar and the butter. Place on a very low heat on the hob and heat gently until the butter melts and the sugar begins to dissolve. Then raise the heat to low-medium, stirring continuously. It's important that you stir all the time once you raise the heat, as caramel is notorious for sticking to the bottom of saucepans and burning. Also, be very careful that it doesn't spit at you - if it touches your skin it can leave a very nasty burn. :(
• bring the mixture slowly to the boil, still stirring all the time. Once it's bubbling happily away, lower the heat ever so slightly and simmer (keep it so it's still bubbling, just not too fiercely :) ) for 10-15 minutes, until the caramel has darkened in colour to a nice toffee-brown. Now it's time to test to see if it's set enough. :) 
• To test, fill a little bowl with very cold water and drop just a tiny bit of caramel in it. It it's ready, it should form a tiny little ball which will flatten easily in your hand if taken out the water.
• Remove the caramel from the heat, and then pour carefully over the shortbread in the tin - be very very careful here you don't get splashed. And I know this is really, really hard, but you MUST wait a good bit before you can get your licking spoon to clean out the saucepan!!! I made this mistake before, and I wish I never had - a burnt tongue caused by hot caramel is NOT nice. :(
• Let the caramel set before adding your chocolate topping. (it normally doesn't take any longer than an hour.) Melt the milk chocolate very gently in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water (a bain-marie, I believe this is called.) Then spread the melted chocolate lovingly over your caramel layered masterpiece. Now let it set while you clean out the chocolate bowl and wash up. 
• And when the chocolate is set (or sett-tish, if you really, really, really can't wait... ;) ), cut into 16 squares with a sharp knife. Now, wasn't that worth the wait? If you did manage to wait, that is.But give yourself a big clapon the back, anyway. You've just made caramel squares all by yourself, after all. :)