He's 30, Flirty, and Enjoying some Ice Cream Cake

Yesterday my husband turned 30.  I wanted to do something extra special, so I followed the old adage "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach".   

I love to bake and I love to experiment so I decided to make him an ice cream cake.  I searched for recipes but didn't find what I was looking for- this was for his 30th, it had to be amazing! I was inspired by a cake with a brownie bottom, so I started there and made the rest up as I went along.

The best part about this task is that it wasn't costly- it worked out to be cheaper than a store bought ice cream cake. And though I made it over 4 days, it was really easy and not all that time consuming. The best part- the reports were positive- I achieved an amazing creation that pleased both the birthday boy and his guests.

 
Today I am going to share with you just how I did it, and maybe one day you too can make somebody's birthday dessert dreams come true. 


Ice Cream Cake: The Recipe

You could make this in your average cake pan, but I recommend using a springform pan- the finished product just looks cooler.  I didn't have one, so I picked one up at a second hand store for $4.

Yeah, it's as good as it looks

The layers (from the bottom up):
1: My favorite brownie recipe
2: Thin layer of chocolate
3: Tillamook Brownie Mudslide Ice cream (1.5 quarts, any brand will do)
4: Fudgee-o Fudge Cookie Crumble Creation
5. Tillamook Oreo Ice cream (1.5 quarts)
6: Topped with cookie crumbs.

Instructions: 
1- Brownie: Spray your pan with cooking spray then line the bottom of your pan with parchment paper.  Prepare your favorite brownie recipe, pour in pan and cook.  Allow to cool at room temperature before pouring in fudge.
   

Tip: I split my recipe for a 9 x 13 pan in half, but next time I would use even less - perhaps using only 1/2 of what I prepared and using the rest for brownies in a mini cupcake tin. 

 2- Fudge:  Stirring often, melt 1/4 cup chocolate chips and 1/8 cup margarine over low heat.  Pour melted chocolate on cooled brownie.  Allow to cool for another hour then cover and put in freezer until the next day.


3- Ice Cream: Allow your ice cream to soften on the counter.  While you are waiting, get out your parchment paper and cut strips, as wide as your pan is high.  Tuck the parchment strips inbetween pan and brownie- this allows for the ice cream not to stick to the pan.

When soft, spoon your ice cream on brownie and spread evenly with a spatula.  Put in freezer until hard before proceeding onto next layer.

Tip: Once my ice cream got soft around the edges I spooned 3/4 of it into a bowl and froze the rest.  My husband appreciated having some leftovers.  

4- Fudgee-o Fudge Cookie Crumble:  Crush 3 rows of fudgee-o's. Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/4 margarine.  Mix cookies and melted chocolate then spread over top of hardened ice cream.  Put back in freezer.


5- Ice cream: Soften your second flavor of ice cream and spread over hardened fudge cookie topping.  

6- Cookie Topping: crush remaining cookies and sprinkle on top of cake. Cover and put in freezer until ready to eat.

The Final Results!

Concluding Thoughts:

I am really happy with how the cake turned out.  Though I was not able to enjoy more than a fork full myself, creating something from my own ideas and seeing people enjoy it brought me a lot of joy.   


The beauty of this cake is that you can use any type of ice cream and cookie and really personalize it.  I am inspired to create a dairy free, gluten free one that I can enjoy when it's time to celebrate my 30th!