I don’t know what the weather has been doing in your little corner of the world, but here in Northern Virginia, it’s been raining for 40 days and 40 nights. My basement has been flooded for 47 of those days, and as I watch the water pour in through our basement window, I’ve resigned myself to a lifetime of doing laundry while wearing my rain boots (#renterproblems). My children change mud-soaked clothing at least 500 times a day (hence all of the rain boot-wearing laundry escapades), and the youngest literally has zero clean and/or dry pairs of shoes at the moment.
But today. TODAY. we. saw. the. sun.
It’s a glorious 75 degrees outside, the sun is shining, and although my backyard is still a swamp (and I’m still contemplating a sailboat for my basement), we are embracing all things summer!
The sidewalk chalk is out, we cleaned off the patio furniture for a little al fresco dining, and this particular ice cream cake is currently chilling in the freezer for a post-dinner treat.
I’ve always loved ice cream cake. Growing up, my favorite was the one from Dairy Queen. You know the cake. With the crunchy/gooey black layer (cookies? fudge? I was never quite sure) and the icy vanilla ice cream, adorned with the gel food color decorations that were 100% guaranteed to turn your teeth black. This is the stuff of my childhood summers.
This particular cake is everything that you want in an ice cream cake, and then some. And if you have an ice cream maker handy, you should (read: most definitely) make the cookies & cream ice cream from scratch. It’s 100 times better than the store-bought stuff, and I promise it is a decision you will not regret.
Happy summer, friends! I hope your days are full of sprinklers and sidewalk chalk and ice cream cake!
Cookies & Cream Ice Cream Cake Roll
Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Active time: 1.5 hours
Start to finish: 6 hours
Serves 8-10
Ingredients
For the cookies & cream ice cream
3 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 large egg yolks
5-10 chocolate sandwich cookies (depending on how cookie-y you like your ice cream; I used 10)
For the cake
4 large eggs, separated
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
Heaped 1/8 teaspoon salt
Heaped 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup dutch-process cocoa, plus more for dusting
1/3 cup cake flour (or 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus 1 teaspoon cornstarch)
Heaped 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 to 2 1/4 cups slightly softened ice cream of your choice (I used cookies & cream)
Powdered sugar and sprinkles to decorate
Directions
For the ice cream
Whisk the cream, milk, sugar, vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.
Whisk the egg yolks in a medium bowl.
Slowly whisk 1 cup of the hot cream mixture into the beaten yolks, then pour back into the saucepan, whisking, and return to medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture thickens, coats the spoon and reaches 180 degrees F, 6 to 8 minutes.
Remove from the heat. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or measuring cup; discard the solids.
Stir often until the mixture cools to room temperature. Lightly press plastic wrap directly against the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Chill until cold, about 3 hours.
Place an 8-inch square metal pan in the freezer to chill. Freeze the cold custard in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s directions.
Put the cookies into a resealable plastic bag and lightly crush with a rolling pin or measuring cup.
Remove chilled pan and sprinkle in half of the crumbled cookies. Top with half of the ice cream, then repeat with remaining cookies and ice cream. Working quickly, use a spoon to incorporate the cookies into the ice cream, mixing from bottom to the top. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until slightly firm, 1 to 2 hours.
For the cake
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 10×15-inch jelly roll pan with softened butter. Line pan with parchment paper and grease again. Dust with cocoa powder, knocking out any excess, and set aside.
Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium speed, until foamy. Slowly add the granulated sugar in a steady stream; continue beating until soft peaks form. Add the salt and cream of tartar; whip until stiff peaks form. Scoop into large bowl and set aside.
Place the egg yolks in now empty bowl of the stand mixer, still fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk the yolks on high speed, slowly adding brown sugar, and whisk until thick, at least 5 minutes. Add the vanilla and water; mix until incorporated. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the whites into the yolks in three additions.
Set a fine mesh sieve over the bowl and place cake flour, cocoa powder, and baking powder in it. Sift over batter, then gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet with a rubber spatula.
Gently spread the batter into the prepared pan, using an offset spatula or butter knife to smooth it. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes, until the cake just begins to pull away from the sides of the pan and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Use a paring knife to make sure the cake isn’t stuck to any side of the pan. Sift cocoa powder over top of cake. Place a large (larger than the cake) dish towel over it. Place a cooling rack over the towel. Grab the cooling rack, the towel, and the cake pan tightly together and flip the cake over, onto the cloth on the rack. Lift your cake pan and it should unmold onto cloth. Gently peel the parchment paper off the cake.
Use your paring knife to cut a thin edge (about 1/4-inch) off all sides of the cake; it’s easier to roll with softer edges. Sift more cocoa powder over the back of the cake (be generous! This helps the cake to not stick to the towel). Use the towel it is on to roll it tightly into a spiral, within the dish towel. Rest on a cooling rack, seam side-down, until it reaches room temperature, about 30 minutes.
Once cake is cool, gently unroll it. Spread inside of cake with slightly softened ice cream. Work quickly so it doesn’t melt too much. Once ice cream is evenly spread, roll cake back up around it (minus the dish towel this time). Wrap cake in plastic wrap and freeze for at least 2 hours (preferably overnight) to re-firm the ice cream.
Decorate the cake with a dusting of powdered sugar and colored sprinkles. Cut into thin 1-inch slices. Keep leftovers in the freezer.