One of my favorite traditions in our house is the Birthday Dinner. The birthday gal (or guy) gets to pick what they want to eat for dinner on their birthday. And, of course, they get the cake of their choice. For the past few years, my daughters have been really into Trifle cake. Thankfully, this year my daughter Lexi wanted a change so, together, we invented Melted Chocolate Ice Cream Cake. I promise, it’s better than the name suggests and you’ve probably had it before – just never gave it a name!
We started with our tried and true favorite cake of all time, Ina Garten’s Chocolate Buttercream Cake. I have made this cake at least 100 times and it’s perfect every time. Every. Single. Time. My daughter Lexi (the birthday girl) did all of the baking this year. It’s not a complicated recipe, but it does require patience and attention to detail in order to get it right – two things I think all teenagers can work on! We actually made the cake a day ahead of time and stored it in the fridge – the half sheet pan and cover worked great for storage.
Then the fun part – instead of icing the cake, we opted for a scoop of melted ice cream, some berries, and hot chocolate sauce! To make the chocolate sauce I melted semi-sweet chocolate chips with one tablespoon of coconut oil over a double boiler – I used our glass nesting bowl. (As for the photo above, we ALSO made a Trifle cake for her friend party and that's the one that got the candles).
I let the ice cream sit out for about 30 minutes before serving. Then we cut the cake into large squares, scooped a large scoop of ice cream on top, sprinkled berries, and drizzled the whole thing with hot sauce. It was a hit, and not the last time we will be making Melted Chocolate Ice Cream Cake!
--Cindy
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 12 x 18 x 1 1/2 inch sheet pan.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on high speed until light, approximately 5 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Combine the buttermilk, sour cream, and coffee. On low speed, add the flour mixture and the buttermilk mixture alternately in thirds, beginning with the buttermilk mixture and ending with the flour mixture. Mix the batter only until blended.
Pour the batter into the prepared sheet pan, smooth the top with a spatula, and bake in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool to room temperature before frosting.
2007, Ina Garten, All Rights Reserved
2 comments
Great Sheila! Let us know how it turns out!