Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake with Raspberries

Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake with Raspberries

by | Jan 11, 2017 | 1 comment

They say you can’t buy happiness, but you can buy ice cream. And that’s sort of the same thing isn’t it?! Well how about buying the ingredients to create this spectacular show-stopper of a beauty guaranteed to bring you happiness. This ice cream cake is so ridiculous easy to make I should be embarrassed for even sharing it. But I’m not.
This recipe combines two of my childhood memories; I’m sure I’m not the only one to remember licking melted dribbles of artificially-flavoured strawberry, vanilla and chocolate ice cream off my fingers. And of course, the ice cream had to be served in those hideous pink cones!  The other childhood memory is trips to Milky Lane for soft serve – which meant an award for best parents for mom and dad!  I would sit and swoon over the intricate ice cream cakes that were made to order – if you managed to score a Milky Lane ice cream cake for your birthday party then you were the luckiest kid ever.
 
 Despite the kitsch-ness that we associate with Neopolitan ice cream, it actually has a far more dignified history. Invented in Italy (Naples to be exact) it was apparently first made up of the colours of the Italian flag – pistachio, vanilla and cherry! Over time, pistachio and cherry (sadly!) got ditched for the more popular chocolate and strawberry. I’ve subbed the chocolate layer for a brownie base but if that’s too much effort, then go for chocolate cake, crushed chocolate biscuits or even just good ol’ chocolate ice cream!

Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake

Serves 10-12

 

300g The Kate Tin Dark Baking Chocolate, roughly chopped

150g unsalted butter

2 tsp vanilla

150g caster sugar

3 eggs, beaten

75g plain flour

2 tbsp The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder

1 tsp salt

1L vanilla ice cream, softened

1L raspberry, strawberry or mixed berry sorbet, softened

Chocolate sauce, to decorate

Fresh raspberries, frozen, to decorate

Preheat the oven to 180C. Line a 20cm spring form cake tin with baking paper. For the brownie base, melt 200g chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla together in a heatproof bowl, set over a saucepan of barely simmering water, making sure the surface of the water does not touch the bowl. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar, then leave to cool for a few minutes. Beat in the eggs, then sift in the flour, cocoa and salt and fold in until the mixture is smooth and glossy. Stir in the remaining chocolate. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level the top. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the top starts to crack but the centre remains gooey. Turn off the oven and leave the brownies inside for a further 5 minutes before removing. Leave to cool completely in the tin. Loosen with a palette knife, clean the tin and place the brownie base back in the cake tin. Spread over the softened sorbet and place in the freezer to set. Top with softened vanilla ice cream and and freeze until set. Remove from the mould, top with chocolate sauce and decorate with raspberries.

 

 

TIP

White Chocolate Hazelnut Blondies

White Chocolate Hazelnut Blondies

by | Oct 6, 2016 | 0 comments

Dark chocolate and hazelnuts have always been besties, and milk chocolate and hazelnuts have also been a power couple but white chocolate and hazelnuts? Why has the world been keeping them apart for so long! They are a match made in heaven. Especially when you stir them into these moist (I hate that word but there really aren’t many other options are there?), fudgey, caramelly blondies. I’ve never been much of a blondie fan, but apparently blondies really do have more fun – mainly because they’re packed with way more naughty ingredients that their brunette cousin. These innocent-looking squares are seriously seriously good – like one of the best things I’ve ever eaten good! Now go away and bake them already so I can have a blondie moment… 😉

White Chocolate Hazelnut Blondies

Makes 12

 

200g butter, chopped

200g The Kate Tin White Chocolate, broken into pieces

4 eggs, lightly beaten

200g almond meal

250g Natura soft brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

100g hazelnuts, toasted and chopped

 

Preheat the oven to 180C (or 160C fan-forced) and line a 20cm square baking tray with baking paper. Melt the butter and chocolate together in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla and brown sugar and stir to combine. Set aside to cool slightly. Once cool, add the eggs, then the almond meal and hazelnuts and stir well to combine. Pour the brownie mix into the prepared tray and bake for 35 – 40 minutes or until the brownies are risen, golden brown in colour and firm to the touch.

 

 

TIP

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Flapjacks

Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie Flapjacks

by | Nov 24, 2014 | 0 comments

Let’s be honest here, we’ll use any excuse to have dessert for breakfast. The person who decided muffins were an okay way to start the day? Genius. I mean, you’re eating cake for breakfast, people! Just without the frosting. And somehow it’s now healthy for you?  That person deserves a high five!
 
Now if we’re going to be eating cake for breakfast, then sneaking a little chocolate into flapjacks (or pancakes or crumpets or whatever you choose to call them) is perfectly acceptable. And since I’m the one coming up with this recipe, well then you won’t be surprised that I threw in some pretzel brittle (salted pretzels drenched in caramel) and a little (okay a lot of) peanut butter sauce just for funzies. Because who said breakfast had to have restrictions? Lunch and dinner don’t have to deal with this kind of stereotyping!
The flapjacks are basically little round brownie blobs – moist, dense and rich, which goes perfectly with the salty-sweet peanut butter and pretzels. And I even put your morning cup of coffee IN the flapjack. Who’s the genius now?

Mile-high Chocolate Brownie Flapjack Stack with Pretzel Brittle and Peanut Butter Sauce

Recipe created for Food and Home Entertaining Magazine

Makes 12-15

 

200g sugar

200g cake flour

100g The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder

7.5ml (1/2 tbsp) baking powder

pinch of salt

1 egg

125ml (1/2 cup) buttermilk

5ml (1 tsp) vanilla extract

160ml hot black coffee

30g smooth peanut butter

60g butter, melted

 

Pretzel brittle

100g salted pretzels

200g sugar

 

Peanut butter sauce

1 cup  (250ml) creamy peanut butter

60ml (1/4 cup) peanut oil

60ml (¼ cup) icing sugar, sifted

pinch of salt

 

To make the brownie flapjacks, mix all the dry ingredients together. Whisk the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla and add to dry ingredients. Combine coffee, peanut butter and butter and add to the mixture. The mixture should be of a dropping consistency. Heat a non-stick pan and grease thoroughly. Drop spoonfuls of the batter into the pan. When bubbles start to form on the surface, flip the flapjacks over and cook on the other side for 1-2 minutes. Repeat with the remaining batter. To make the brittle, scatter the pretzels on a nonstick baking mat or baking paper. Place the sugar in a saucepan with ¼ cup water and heat gently until sugar is dissolved. Bring to the boil and simmer until the sugar turns a deep caramel. Remove from the heat and immediately pour over the pretzels. Allow to set. Break into pieces. To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients together and stir until smooth. Serve the flapjacks piled high on top of each other, sprinkled with pieces of brittle and drizzled with peanut butter sauce.

 

 

TIP