"Berry" Tempting Ice Cream Cake

I am not one to go out and impulse buy kitchen appliances, especially those that are single purpose and take up valuable countertop real estate - a precious and scarce resource in an already-too-small kitchen. But I've got to tell you, friends, that the summer heat {and obsessive browsing of fabulous recipe sites featuring homemade ice cream like this, this, this and this} has got me ready to break my own rule and "invest" in an ice cream maker. Seriously.

I remember when I was a kid, we had one of those ice cream makers that used rock salt. I would practically climb up on the table where it sat churning away and peer over the edge hoping that I could somehow will the thing into freezing the contents into something even remotely resembling ice cream just a little bit faster. It was a torturously long wait. As I recall, I don't think we ever allowed it to work long enough to create anything other than a very limp soft serve. {If I'm remembering correctly, the machine only came out of the box twice. Gee, with a child precariously teetering over an electrical appliance, I can't imagine why it wouldn't have been used more often...}

Today, there are lots of great ice cream makers that take far less time and patience {thank goodness, because I'm still not very good at the whole waiting part}. But, I'm still not sure that I'm willing to make room for yet another kitchen gadget in my already overstuffed cabinets.

In the meantime, I've had to settle for cooling down with recipes that take a little help from store bought ice cream or sorbet. You won't hear me complaining. Ice cream means happiness in my world no matter where it comes from!

I found this recipe for Chocolate-Berry Ice Cream Cake in one of my Everyday Food magazines, and I knew that it would be perfect to share for my father-in-law's birthday weekend. {June birthday? In Florida? Ice cream cake it is!} I used dark chocolate cocoa powder in the cake base for a richer chocolate flavor, but you can certainly switch it to your favorite cake recipe {or maybe something blueberry to make it a red, white & blue cake?}. It was simple, it was pretty, and it was well received. I can only imagine that it would be made even better by homemade ice cream... but I'll let you know for sure if I give in and head to the store to pick up a new kitchen toy. ;)


Bad pic... good cake!

 So, if you're looking for a sweet, cool treat to whip up this 4th of July Weekend, or an easy dessert to beat the summer heat, give this one a try!

Chocolate-Berry Ice Cream Cake
adapted from Martha Stewart's Everday Food

You'll Need:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder {or dark chocolate cocoa powder}
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup fresh or thawed frozen blackberries (I used frozen raspberries, but any berry would be yummy}
• 1 pint vanilla ice cream, softened
• 1 pint raspberry sorbet, softened

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch springform cake pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisk in egg yolk, buttermilk, 1/4 cup warm water, oil, and vanilla. Pour batter into pan and bake until cake pulls away from sides and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely in pan on a wire rack, 1 1/2 hours.
2. Place blackberries in a medium bowl and lightly mash with a fork. Stir in vanilla ice cream.
3. Working quickly, spread ice cream mixture in an even layer over cooled cake with a small offset or rubber spatula.Freeze until ice cream is very firm, 2 hours.
4. In a small bowl, stir sorbet until spreadable. Spread in an even layer over ice cream and freeze until set, 1 hour (or, covered, up to 1 week). To serve, unmold cake and allow to sit and slightly thaw for 15-30 minutes.