Chocolate Ice Cream Cake (Neapolitan)

This Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake is a tasty combination of chocolate cake and strawberry and vanilla ice cream. The ice cream layers are made without an ice cream machine, making it a simple ice cream cake to make. The ice cream is also nice and thick before being frozen. Once the chocolate cake is made and cooled, the ice creams can be layered without having to freeze one and then layer the other and freeze again, which is a great time saver.

Chocolate Cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour, unbleached
1 cup sugar
¼ + 1/8 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 large egg
½ cup buttermilk
½ cup vegetable oil
¾ tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ cup boiling water

Strawberry Ice Cream:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1/8 cup milk
4 tsp. strawberry extract
8 oz whipped cream
20 drops red food colouring

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
½ cup sugar
1/8 cup milk
2 tsp. pure vanilla bean paste
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
8 oz whipped cream)

Whipped Cream Icing:
¾ cup whipping cream
½ cup powdered sugar
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Grease an 8" springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper to allow for easy removal.

Chocolate Cake:
Put all dry ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together. Add eggs, buttermilk and vegetable oil to the dry ingredients and mix until smooth. Add vanilla to boiling water and add to mixture. Mix at medium speed until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and bake 40-42 minutes.

Remove from oven and let cool for 5-10 minutes in pans, then remove to cooling rack to finish cooling.

Once cooled, cut off cake dome with a long serrated knife.

Strawberry Ice Cream:
Once the cake has cooled, make the strawberry ice cream. Combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a mixer until smooth. Add the milk and strawberry extract and mix until completely combined. Fold in the whipped cream and food colour, then set aside.

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream:
To make the vanilla ice cream, combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a mixer until smooth. Add the milk, vanilla bean paste and vanilla extract and mix until completely combined. Fold in the whipped cream.

Whipped Cream Icing:
Put mixing bowl and whisk attachment in freezer for about 10 minutes. Remove bowl and whisk from freezer and whip cream on high until it begins to thicken. Add vanilla extract and powdered sugar and whip on high until thick and creamy.

Assembly:
Line the sides of an 8" springform pan with parchment paper. The parchment paper should stick up above the top edge of the pan, since the cake will probably be a little taller than your pan. If you want, put a cardboard cake circle in the bottom of the pan. You should be using the same 8" pan you used for the cake. Not all 8" pans are exactly the same size. Your cake needs to fit in this pan.

Put the chocolate cake in the bottom of your pan. Top cake with the strawberry ice cream and spread into an even layer. Carefully add vanilla ice cream and spread into an even layer.

Allow ice cream cake to freeze completely, 6-8 hours.

When frozen, remove cake from springform pan and remove parchment paper from sides.

Ice cake and freeze until serving.

Makes 12-14 slices.