Black Forest Ice Cream Cake

Here we go - one last post before the Christmas break!  It's cherry season (phew! and are they expensive!!) so I had to include a few in this dessert I'm making for Christmas dinner.  I got the idea from Delicious magazine, with a recipe which calls for three litres of store-bought ice cream.  I decided to work a little bit harder (what? yes, crazy gal!), and make some of my own no-churn ice cream for one of the layers.

I suggest making this a couple of days before Christmas.  I reckon we will all have enough to do on Christmas Eve already:-)  Yep on Christmas Eve, I'm making Dutch potato salad, baking a small turkey breast, and prepping onion and garlic puddings for Christmas Day.  Eek!  Happily for me, Mr P. and our housemate M. will be shoving the four kilo Christmas bird into our oven at the crack of, on the actual morning.  Phew!  We will then transport the monster to our mates' place round the corner, to enjoy the festive feast.  Best wishes to you one and all for your own festivities.


ingredients:


ice cream:


100g. (70%) dark chocolate

400 mLs thickened cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp Frangelico or liqueur of your choice (optional)

1 tsp coffee powder (optional)

50g. icing sugar/icing mixture

200g. tube of condensed milk


Cake:


150g. dark (70%) chocolate, chopped

60 mLs (1/4 cup) thin (pure) cream

approx. 210g. savoiardi sponge fingers (about half a 400g. packet)

30g. (2 UK/US tbs) cocoa powder

1 store-bought frozen chocolate fudge brownie (350g.) - (I used Sara Lee)

300 mLs French vanilla ice cream from the store, softened

120g. pitted cherries - fresh or frozen, and chopped


To decorate:

200g. fresh or frozen (thawed) pitted cherries

50g. chocolate shards (from the 150g. above)


Method:


First make your ice cream: - melt the chocolate in the microwave for about eighty seconds or so, and let it cool for a few minutes

Whip the cream, vanilla extract, Frangelico, coffee powder (if using) and icing sugar together till softly whipped, then add the condensed milk and melted chocolate - whip again till you have soft peaks

Pour into a metal cake tin, and place in the freezer while you put the cake together

Line the base of a 22cm. springform pan with clingfilm or baking paper

Put 100g. (of the 150g.) dark chocolate in a microwave-proof bowl along with the thin (pure) cream

Melt in the microwave for about sixty seconds

Stir well, and cool for a couple of minutes

Trim off the top third of the savoiardi (keep the smaller pieces for something else)

Dust the larger pieces of savoiardi on both sides with the cocoa - I placed them on a baking sheet and dusted them using a small strainer

Then lightly dip one side of a savoiardi finger into the chocolate/cream mixture, and place upright around the sides of the pan (not flat against the pan, but so it sticks out into the pan) - check the photo if you're confused:-)  

Keep going till you have completely lined the pan, dipping each finger and pressing gently against the one before it

Now press the brownie into the base of the pan - or get Mr P. to do it for you, so he gets the gooby chocolate hands:-)

Stir the chopped cherries into the softened vanilla ice cream, and spread it over the brownie base

Place into the freezer for ten minutes to firm up

Then scoop the chocolate ice cream out of the tin, and spread it over the vanilla layer

Back into the freezer for five hours (or overnight)

When serving, take the cake out of the springform tin, place the fresh cherries over the top of the cake, and scatter the other 50g. of dark chocolate (chopped or grated into shards) over the top


Notes:

Buy two different ice cream flavours if you wish, rather than making one (or any)

Grab a packet brownie mix, and bake it up to use in this cake - if you fancy the extra effort!

first make your chocolate ice cream

place the mixture into a metal tin then into the freezer

get Mr P. to cut off the top third of the fingers (not his, tee hee)

dust the fingers with cocoa powder

line the base of the tin with clingfilm, then place the fingers around the edge

smooth on the vanilla ice cream and cherry layer

spread the chocolate ice cream over the vanilla layer

beautiful layers after being frozen overnight

how to fit this in after Christmas dinner? tee hee 

Have a wonderful Christmas/festive break, dear friends.  See you in the New Year; a year of change and new beginnings apparently!  May the '20s be marvellous for all.

 artwork © Sherry's Pickings