Pumpkin Caramel Ice Cream Cake

This year for my recipe testers birthday I decided to use the cake I made last year (since it was such a big hit) but really take it up to the next level by making it a ridiculous ice cream cake (yes I know it's winter). This cake was absolutely phenomenal and so impressive looking. It took a good amount of work but your mistakes are easy to hide (via the crumb topping and trimming the cake) and it's definitely a tasty show stopper. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Caramel Ice Cream Cake:
Pumpkin Cake: Recipe Follows, Originally Posted Here
2 quarts of Vanilla Ice Cream (you will have some left over)
Caramel Sauce: Recipe Follows, Orginally Posted Here
20 Ginger Snap Cookies, processed into crumbs

After cakes cool, freeze cakes for 20 minutes, to firm up, then slice each cake in half to create 2 square layers. Line a square pan with parchment leaving a long overhang. Place one cake layer on the bottom, and spread with 1/2 a container of ice cream, drizzle with caramel sauce, top with another cake layer and freeze for an hour. Mix the other 1/2 of the container of ice cream with half the caramel sauce and spread over cake. Top with half the cookie crumbs, and another layer of cake, freeze for 1 hour. Spread 1/2 the second container of ice cream over the cake and top with remaining layer of cake, using a pastry brush, brush with remaining caramel, and coat top with cookie crumbs. Freeze until firm, or overnight. Before serving, trim sides to make the cake even and pretty. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cake:
2 sticks of unsalted butter, softened slightly
2 cups of white sugar
1 cup of brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups of canned Pumpkin
1 cup warm of half and half
3 1/3 cups of flour
2 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of nutmeg
1/2 tsp of ground cloves
1/2 tsp of ginger
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat together the butter and both sugars in a large bowl, until well combined and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix until well incorporated. Add in pumpkin and half and half and stir until just combined. Add in cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, salt, baking powder, baking soda and 1 cup of flour. Mix until just combined. Add in an additional cup of flour and mix in. Add remaining flour and mix until just combined, do not over mix. Grease two 9 inch square cake pans, and pour batter evenly between them. Bake until a fork inserted in one comes out clean, about 50 minutes to an hour.

Caramel Sauce:
1 1/4 cups of dark brown sugar
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of heavy cream

Stir the sugar and butter in a small pot, over meduim heat until butter melts, whisk in cream and stir until sauce is smooth and combined, about 3 minutes.

Happy Eating.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

Imagine the richest, chocolaty, most fudge like brownie you have ever had. Now imagine that was the "bread" in an ice cream sandwich. Absolute hot weather heaven. That's what these ridiculously rich and decadent sandwiches are. They are tested on ages 2 to I shouldn't say, and were approved as an amazing and cooling summer treat. So while this heat rages on, or makes a comeback, and you don't think you could even contemplate hot food, whip up a delicious batch of these easy ice cream sandwiches for your next BBQ and be a dessert summer superstar.

Ice Cream Sandwiches:
7 oz of unsweetened chocolate
12 sticks plus 6 tbsp of unsalted butter
2 2/3 cups of sugar
4 large eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
2 tsp of salt
2 cups of flour
1 container of Vanilla Ice Cream (with some leftover)

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a heat proof/microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate and the butter, stirring occasionally until combined and melted. Add the sugar and mix until the mixture is smooth and sugar is mostly dissolved. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, stirring after each addition. Stir in the the vanilla. Add the baking powder, salt, and 1 cup of flour and stir until just combined. Add the remaining cup of flour and stir until combined, do not over mix. Line two 9 x13 inch dishes with parchment paper and spray with non stick spray. Divide batter between the two pans and smooth so it is distributed evenly, and you have a thin layer of brownie batter in each pan. Bake until the top looks dry (the insides will still be a moist, and a toothpick will NOT come out clean), about 8-10 minutes. Let brownies cool completely, then remove from the pan by lifting the parchment paper. Freeze until cold and firm, about 10 minutes. Let the ice cream soften slightly. Flip 1 brownie over onto a tray lined with additional parchment, so that the bottom is facing up. Spread with a thick layer of vanilla ice cream. Invert the second brownie on top of the ice cream, so the the top side is facing up (if the brownies are stuck run a sharp, hot knife underneath). Push down on the sandwiches slightly and freeze tray until firm, about an hour or up to a week. Cut into sandwiches before serving, smoothing ice cream if necessary. (adapted from Martha)

Happy Eating.

Malted Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches

The long weekend is here! Hooray! And the official start of summer. I am looking forward to a long, hot summer, full of weekends at the Jersey Shore, wearing white, and summerizing my desserts. These cookies, plain, are hands down 100% the best chocolate chip cookie I have ever tasted. I seriously had trouble sharing them, which is very unusual for me (I am usually a feeder). The malt powder is like magic, there is no other way to describe these cookies besides malty magical amazingness. Then, if that is not insane enough for you, we can spread some delicious french vanilla ice cream inbetween, and make the most delicious icecream sandwich ever. So, if your still not sure what to bring to your weekend BBQs, trust me, and make a batch these amazing ice cream sandwiches.

Malted Chocolate Chip Cookies:
2 sticks of butter, softened
3/4 cups of brown sugar
3/4 cups of white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp of vanilla extract
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp malted milk powder
2 cups of flour
12 oz of semi sweet chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, place a rack in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Cream together butter and both sugars until smooth and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, mix until incorporated. Add in vanilla and mix in. Add baking soda, salts, and malted milk powder, and mix until just combined. Add 1 cup of flour and mix until just combined, repeat with remaining cup of flour. Fold in chocolate chips. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop cookies by rounded teaspoons, giving them ample room to spread out (12 cookies per sheet). Bake until golden brown, 10-12 minutes; for best results cookies should spend no more than 1/4 of the baking time (about 3 minutes) on the bottom rack. I started the cookies on the bottom, towards the end of the previous dozens baking time, and then moved them to the top rack as soon as the other cookies were done. Makes about 4 dozen cookies. (adapted from the Pioneer Woman)

To Make Ice Cream Sandwiches:
Malted chocolate chip cookies
French vanilla ice cream
Mini chocolate chips, or mini chocolate chunks

Let ice cream stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes to soften slightly. Pair the desired number of cookies by size. On one cookie, spoon about 1/4 cup (you can eyeball) of ice cream, and spread it fairly evenly. Press second cookie on top, until ice cream expands almost to the edge of the cookie. Run a knife or your finger around the ice cream to smooth. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chuncks, repeat with remaining cookies. Wrap the assembled sandwiches in wax paper and freeze until firm, at least 30 minutes. Enjoy!

Happy Eating.