Chocolate Ice Cream Cake (Strawberry)

This ice cream cake is delightfully fruity, frosty, and impressive, making it the perfect special cake for summer. Tastes like a giant chocolate covered strawberry, but even better! It is moist and tender even when frozen, and the ice cream is luscious and creamy. The chocolate ganache on top paired with the fresh strawberries just takes everything to a new level of decadence!

Chocolate Cake:
1¾ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (7.8 oz, 221 g)
2 cups granulated sugar
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (3.1 oz, 89 g)
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. fine sea salt
¾ cup sour cream
½ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

Strawberry Ice Cream:
1 qt fresh strawberries, hulled and chopped
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
½ cup sour cream
½ cup whole milk
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp. lemon juice, freshly squeezed
2 Tbsp. corn syrup
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp. fine sea salt
1½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Ganache:
6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
½ cup heavy cream

Garnish:
fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter and flour two 8" round cake pans.

For the Cake:
In the bowl of a stand mixer, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and baking powder. Add in the salt. Mix on low speed until combined. In a small bowl combine the sour cream, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla. On low speed gradually add the sour cream mixture into the dry ingredients. Beat on low until just combined, scraping down the edges as necessary. Add in the boiling water and beat until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool the cakes in their pans for 30 minutes before carefully turning them out onto a cooling rack. Freeze the cakes until very firm.

For the Ice Cream:
In the pitcher of a blender, puree all the ingredients until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and press plastic wrap against the surface. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 day.

Pour the chilled mixture into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s directions. Line a clean 8" cake pan with plastic wrap. Pour the ice cream into the cake pan then press another sheet of plastic wrap against the surface. Freeze until firm, about 2 hours or up to 2 days.

For the Ganache:
Place the chocolate chips in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan heat the cream just until simmering. Pour over the chocolate chips. Let sit for 3 minutes before stirring until the mixture is melted and smooth. Let cool until the ganache is thickened but still pourable.

To Assemble:
On a serving plate or cake stand, place 1 cake layer upside-down. Remove the ice cream from the pan and place over the cake, peeling off the plastic wrap. Top with the remaining cake layer. Pour the ganache over the cake, letting it drip down the sides. Freeze for 2 hours, or until firm. Top with strawberries and let stand for 5-10 minutes before slicing and serving.