Chocolate Ice Cream Igoo Cake

Great Holiday Cake

I tried out this Martha Stewart recipe this past Christmas and the cake was delicious.  It does take a lot of time to make because you have to keep refreezing it while you ice it.  The directions are a little confusing so I will try to clarify as much as I can.

Ingredients:
Unsalted butter, for baking sheets
1 1/4 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more, sifted, for baking sheets
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 large eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Vegetable-oil cooking spray
1 quart good-quality chocolate ice cream
1 1/2 quarts good-quality vanilla ice cream
White-Chocolate Buttercream (You can buy or make from scratch...I made mine from scratch)
4 large marshmallows, halved (or you can use mini marshmallows like I did)
Sanding sugar, white, pale-blue, and silver , for decorating
Marzipan Penguins (I didn't include these because I figured no one would eat them)
** I did not include the shredded coconut because it's only for show and I don't like shredded coconut but the original recipe includes it.  Feel free to click the link above for the original)

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheets (cookie sheets with a one - two inch high edge worked well). Line bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment. Dust with cocoa powder, and tap out excess; set aside.


2.Sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add eggs and yolk, 1 1/4 cups warm water, the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until smooth.

3.Divide batter between prepared sheets. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Let cool on wire racks 30 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks, and let cool completely.

4.Coat an 8 1/2-inch (9-cup) ovenproof bowl (metal mixing bowl that resembles an igloo when upside down) with cooking spray. Line with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Cut one cake layer crosswise into 4-inch-wide strips, and use to line bowl (there should be no gaps). Cut a 9-inch round from remaining cake layer; set aside. (This piece of cake will go on the top of the bowl eventually and become the bottom of the cake)
**The easiest way to explain this is to line the bowl with strips of cake so that you cant see the inside edge of the bowl anywhere.  You might have to overlap layers of cake in order to cover gaps, this is okay.  You can cut cake into smaller pieces than 4 inches if you need to.  This part takes a little bit of puzzle solving and finesse.  Don't worry if it doesn't look pretty.  The inside will be filled with ice cream and the outside will be covered with icing :)

5.One at a time, mix ice creams in the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Spread 1 cup vanilla ice cream over cake in bowl; spread 1 1/2 cups chocolate ice cream on top. Continue layering ice creams, alternating 1 1/2 cups of each flavor, stopping 1/2 inch from rim. Press cake over ice cream. Wrap in plastic; freeze overnight.

6.Turn out cake onto a 9-inch cake board (or whatever you want to serve it on). Freeze 15 minutes if cake becomes soft. Spread a thin layer of buttercream (about 1/2 cup) over cake, and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer remaining buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a basketweave tip (such as Ateco #898). With smooth side of tip facing you, and starting at top of cake, pipe 1-inch rectangles all over cake. If cake begins to soften, freeze 15 minutes.
** My pastry bag didnt work out that well but as long as you do your best to make the icing look like little bricks, you've done okay.

White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe
7.Using marshmallows, make the outline of the door. Using a smaller basketweave tip (such as Ateco #895), pipe rectangles over marshmallows. Sprinkle sanding sugar all over cake. Freeze until ready to serve, up to 1 day. Attach marzipan penguins to cake with toothpicks (optional).
 
Everyone loved this cake.  It looked impressive and was super delicious.  You can substitute any flavor ice cream you want.

How I knew I loved to bake....

When I was probably about 6 or 7 years old, I discovered I had the desire to become a baker.  My parents also unfortunately learned this by eating my favorite dish at the time "Sprinkled Thin Bread."  At this time I didn't know much about baking.  The main ingredients in a dessert in my mind were flour, eggs, milk, sugar.  Every time my parents would go out for the night and I had a babysitter, I would convince her to let me bake.  I pulled out all the ingredients I needed, mixed them together "just right" and poured them in a pan.  Next it needed to be pretty, so I would grab all the colored sugar sprinkles I could find and put them on top.  My babysitter would then bake my "Sprinkled Thin Bread."  When my parents returned home, they had no choice but to taste my "creation" because I was so excited to show off my baking skills! I made them each eat a piece (which to be honest tasted like sweet cardboard covered in sprinkles) and then repeatedly asked them "Is it good?" until they said yes.  I think they are quite glad the the Sprinkled Thin Bread recipe has retired for good (mainly thanks to the Easy Bake Oven with premixed ingredients).

Lemon Bars

Lemon Bars (Not too sweet, not too sour)

~From Betty Crocker and my grandma :) ~

These are a family favorite!

Total Time: 1 hour 0 min

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel, if desired (I don't use this)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
Powdered sugar

Directions
 
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.


2. Mix flour, butter and powdered sugar. Press in ungreased square pan, 8x8x2 or 9x9x2 inches, building up 1/2-inch edges.

3. Bake crust 20 minutes or until golden.

4. Beat granulated sugar, lemon peel (optional), lemon juice, baking powder, salt and eggs with electric mixer on high speed about 3 minutes or until light and fluffy. Pour over hot crust.

5. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until no indentation remains when touched lightly in center. Cool; dust with powdered sugar. Cut into about 1 1/2-inch squares.

Yield: ~25 lemon bars

Easy Chocolate Souffles

Chocolate Soufflé


Taken from NY Times (from a blog www.nytimes.com/bitten)


Time: About 45 minutes

Ingredients:
About 1 tablespoon butter for dish
1/3 cup sugar, plus some for dish
3 eggs, separated
2 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, melted (best if done in a double boiler, but you can also microwave on low for a 10 -15 seconds.  Stir and repeat until melted)
Pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 2-cup or one 4-cup soufflé or other deep baking dish(es). Sprinkle each with sugar, invert it and tap to remove excess sugar. (You don't have to use the sugar and I found using Pam - I'm all about simplicity - works just as well as butter in this case.)

2. Beat egg yolks with all but 1 tablespoon sugar until very light and very thick; mixture will fall in a ribbon from beaters when it is ready. Mix in the melted chocolate until well combined; set aside.

3. Wash beaters well, then beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until whites hold soft peaks; continue to beat, gradually adding remaining tablespoon sugar, until they are very stiff and glossy. Stir a good spoonful of whites thoroughly into egg yolk mixture to lighten it; then fold in remaining whites, using a rubber spatula. Transfer to prepared soufflé dish(es); at this point you can cover and refrigerate until you are ready to bake.


4. Bake until center is nearly set, 20 minutes for individual soufflés and 25 to 35 minutes for a single large soufflé. Serve immediately.

5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Yield: 2 servings.

Enjoy!