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Celebrate Summer With Ice Cream Cake

partysugar — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 05:50:49 -0700

One of the first things I ever made was ice cream cake. I was 13 and decided that for my 14th birthday I wanted an ice cream cake. Instead of getting one at Baskin Robbins, my best friend and I made our own. It was a surprisingly simple and satisfying success. Essentially all you need is a boxed cake mix, a container of ice cream, and a little creativity. Since July is National Ice Cream Month, it's the perfect time for everyone to experiment with ice cream cake. To inspire you, here are a few of my favorite recipes.

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Taste Test: PhillySwirl Ice Cream Cupcakes

partysugar — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:00:18 -0700

A little while back, I received a box of ice cream cupcakes by PhillySwirl. I put the box in the freezer and totally forgot about them until I saw them featured on the Today Show. So last week, Yum, Molly, and I cracked open the box. There's nothing fancy or pretentious about these cupcakes. They come in two flavors: chocolate and vanilla. Each cupcake has a layer of cake, a layer of ice cream, a hard chocolate candy coating, a frosting topping, and a sprinkle of jimmies. To see what I thought of these frozen treats, read more.

They were absolutely delicious! With its creamy frosting, I preferred the vanilla to the chocolate. Like a blast from elementary school past, the taste is similar to those super-sugary, grocery store cupcakes that come in plastic containers.

The chocolate tasted like a cross between a brownie sundae and a Klondike bar. Both were totally indulgent without being over-the-top sweet.

I especially enjoyed the concept and plan on experimenting with my own ice cream cupcake recipe. Have you tried the PhillySwirl ice cream cupcakes? If so, what did you think?

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Let's Make Ice Cream Cake!

partysugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 16:18:11 -0700

When we asked your opinion of ice cream cakes, the overwhelming response was positive. I'm with all of you, I love ice cream cakes. In fact, when I was in high school my bff and I were famous for our homemade ice cream cakes.

Although it's a stunning dessert that looks like it's hard to make, ice cream cake is actually super simple to put together. The recipe here features a yellow cake with coffee ice cream, but feel free to use the technique described to make any flavored cake and ice cream combination. To take a look at the recipe, read more.

Ice Cream Cake
From Real Simple magazine

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix
3 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 quarts coffee (or any other flavor) ice cream, softened slightly

Directions

One hour before starting your cake, turn the freezer to its highest setting.
Heat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 8-inch round cake pans.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, and oil, along with the amount of water called for by the package directions. Beat until well combined.
Divide the batter between the pans. Place the pans in oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing them from the pans. Let the layers cool completely before assembling the cake.
Place one of the layers on an 8-inch cardboard cake round or a freezerproof cake plate.
Using a rubber spatula, evenly spread 1 quart of the softened ice cream over the top of the plated layer. Place the remaining cake layer on top of the ice cream. Put the cake in the freezer to harden, about 1 hour.
Transfer the remaining softened ice cream to a mixing bowl. Cream by hand with a rubber spatula until it reaches the consistency of frosting.
Frost the top and the sides of the cake with the ice cream. If the ice cream becomes too soft to work with, place both the bowl and the cake in the freezer until the ice cream is firm, about 30 minutes. When the cake is frosted, transfer it to the freezer to harden, about 1 hour. Serve immediately upon removal, using a warm knife to slice.

Serves 12 to 16.

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Name That Dish!

partysugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:11:19 -0700

The overwhelming majority of you love ice cream cakes. But do you know what the ice cream cake pictured below is called?

Do You Like Ice Cream Cakes?

YumSugar — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 09:13:33 -0700

Source

Yummy Link: Cuuuute Ice Cream and Cake

YumSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 02:57:11 -0700

These guys are absolutely fun and amazingly adorable. I could go on and on, but really I think the only word I need to say for this ice cream and cake pairing is cuuuuuuute! - Cute Overload

At a Birthday Party, Do You Prefer Ice Cream or Cake?

partysugar — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 01:30:17 -0700

Yummy Links: From Twilight Cakes to Cool Whip Burgers

partysugar — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:00:19 -0700

Twilight cake! What vampires and ice cream have in common. - Videogum
Frank Bruni's visage is revealed, and here are his lookalikes. - Eat Me Daily
Could Pepto-Bismol ice cream be the cure for your hangover? - blogjam
Saveur unveils a lovely site redesign. - Saveur
Expert-in-residence Mark Bittman answers readers' cooking inquiries. - Chowhound
Getting to know Anita Lo of Top Chef Masters. - Grub Street
In praise of the most unappreciated kitchen tool. - Epicurious
Live coverage of the Julie & Julia premiere afterparty. - The Feedbag
Is that really a burger filled with Cool Whip? - Serious Eats

Oh To Invent A Dessert!

partysugar — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 03:19:12 -0700

254 years ago on today's date, an American physician named Benjamin Thompson, Count von Rumford (some name, huh?) was born. He invented a pressure cooker kitchen stove thing-a-ma-jig and more importantly is credited with creating Baked Alaska (how awesome would it be if you invented a dessert???). Baked Alaska is a dessert composed of a sponge cake topped with a layer of ice cream. Instead of frosting the cake, you blanket it with a thick coating of meringue. Then it is baked in the oven until the meringue is caramelized and golden brown - about five minutes. The meringue insulates the ice cream and prevents it from melting. The end result is a spectacular and show-stopping dessert. To experiment with baked Alaska in your kitchen, in honor of old Count Rumford's birthday, just read more

Baked Alaska
From Gourmet magazine

1 (10 3/4-oz) frozen pound cake, not thawed
2 pints super premium strawberry ice cream (not 1 quart) or any other flavor of ice cream
6 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar

Cut frozen cake crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Line bottom of a 9-inch pie plate with cake slices, some halved or cut into pieces to fill in gaps. Halve remaining cake slices lengthwise and place around edge of plate. Patch up any holes with pieces of remaining cake slices. (You may have a couple of slices left over.)
Cut paper containers from ice cream and slice each pint into 3 rounds. Arrange 3 rounds in 1 layer on top of cake in pie plate and cut each remaining round into 6 wedges. Fill holes in ice cream layer with some of ice cream wedges and mound remainder in center of pie plate. Freeze 25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 450°F.
After ice cream and cake have been freezing 20 minutes, beat egg whites and a pinch of salt with an electric mixer until foamy, then add lemon juice and continue to beat until whites hold soft peaks. Gradually add sugar, beating, and continue beating until whites just hold stiff, glossy peaks.
Remove ice-cream base from freezer and mound meringue over it, spreading to edge of plate to cover ice cream completely. Bake in middle of oven until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Serve immediately.

Serves 8.

Make Ahead: The base can be assembled 2 days ahead and frozen, tightly wrapped. Make meringue and, after topping base, bake Alaska 10 minutes.

Note: The egg whites in this recipe may not be fully cooked. If salmonella is a problem in your area, you can use powdered egg whites such as Just Whites.

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Yummy Links: From Homemade Ice Cream to Cardboard Food

YumSugar — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 10:01:38 -0700

Everyone wants to know, how do you make ice cream without an ice cream maker? - Apartment Therapy: The Kitchen
Snapple's been hit with a class-action lawsuit. Apparently it's not made from "the best stuff on earth." - Chow
What's going on with all of the food allergies? - Serious Eats
Are smoothies health food or junk food? - Culinate

If you haven't noticed, your Coke can is sporting a much cleaner and simpler design. - Will Work For Food
If you'd like to prevent cakes from sticking, but are baffled by parchment slings, try creating a foil sling instead. - Baking Bites
I know I've had food that tastes like cardboard, but I'm not sure I've ever actually had food made from cardboard. - Slashfood