Chocolate Ice Cream Cake

Have you always wanted to make an ice cream cake but the idea of actually doing it seemed intimating to you? Yup. Me, too. I love ice cream cakes but always resorted to buying them from the store for special occasions simply because they seemed too technical to make at home (the perfect layers! The frosting?). If I would have known how easy they actually are to make, I would have been making them a long time ago. All you need is time (well, and chocolate cake and ice cream) so with a little planning ahead, you can make a delicious ice cream at home too.

Chocolate Cake:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (200 g)
1-1/3 cups sugar (300 g)
¾ cups unsweetened cocoa powder (90 g)
1 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch kosher salt
2 eggs
4/5 cup buttermilk (200 mL)
1 stick butter, melted (125 g)
4/5 cup coffee, freshly brewed, hot (200 mL)

Ice Cream Filling:
33 oz slow-churned vanilla ice cream, set on the counter to thaw for 30 minutes (1 L)

Chocolate Frosting:
4/5 cup heavy cream (200 mL)
½ stick butter (50 g)
9 oz dark chocolate (250 g)

Garnish:
chopped almonds or shaved white chocolate

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the oven rack in the middle position. Grease and flour two (23 cm) baking pans and set aside.

Cake:  Stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract and beat until smooth
Add hot coffee, and mix well. The batter will be very runny (probably that is why the cake is so moist).

Distribute batter between the two pans and bake for about 20-25 minutes.

Wait 15 minutes before unmolding. Let the cakes cool completely on a wire rack.

To Assemble Cake:  Take the ice cream out of the freezer a few minutes before starting to assemble the cake, to soften and make it more spreadable. Line a mold with paper parchment (the size of your cakes).Place a cake inside the mold, spread the ice cream over it, and top with the other cake. Freeze, if possible 24 hours (what I did as I made my own ice cream, was after it was churned I poured it in a disposable aluminum foil pan and froze it there. You will need to trim it a bit on the sides when you put the cake together, but I found this method hassle-free for me).

Chocolate Frosting:  Next day, prepare the chocolate frosting. Pour cream on a medium saucepan, bring to boil, remove from heat, and add chopped chocolate and butter. Allow to rest for a few minutes, and then stir until dissolved. Place cake on a wire rack, and pour frosting over it, being careful to cover the cake completely. Garnish with some chopped almonds or shaved white chocolate on top, and freeze again until you are going to serve it.

Take the cake out of the freezer 10-15 minutes before you plan to serve it. Run a knife under hot water to make slicing much easier.