At first glance it might seem that I am just a happy, normal girl who loves to bake and walk her dog. However, I have suffered with an eating disorder since I was 13. It was only in May 2014 when I realised that this Voice in my head was slowly but surely trying to kill me. And so began the long, hard, and painful journey which is recovery...

I want My Cocoa Stained Apron to be a special place...a place for reflection, memories, shared stories...and of course a little bit of cocoa-staining ;) Recovery might be the hardest thing you ever choose to do in this life. But it is also the bravest and best decision you will ever make.:)

Friday 7 November 2014

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








2 comments:

  1. Yummy Emmy!!! Will defiantly give it a go!!!
    Lots of love
    Livvy xoxo

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    Replies
    1. :) aww enjoy hun!! Please do write a post about how it comes out! ;) <3 xxxx

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