The Art of Ice Cream Cake

Juli previously asked how my family got along without an oven in my early years. The answer is simple: we didn't ever make anything that was made in the oven. I'm sure it was very frustrating for my mother, as we're big on turkey all year long. And we usually have a cake at least twice a month.

And I'm sure it was frustrating for others, too. I remember my brothers and I once being babysat by one of the older girls at church (I was either six or seven then) and her wanting to make Christmas sugar cookies. We rolled out the dough, cut out camels and bells and stars, frosted the cut-out dough (I didn't know you were supposed to frost the cookies after they baked), and then couldn't bake them because the oven didn't work. There have been other times at church activities when us girls would bake and I didn't really participate because I didn't know how to bake and then was accused of having a bad attitude. (Can you imagine that???)

So, you would see how it was impossible for my mom to make our birthday cakes. We always had our birthday cakes from a bakery on Las Tunas Drive in San Gabriel, CA, Julie's. I always had white cakes with strawberry filling. Unfortunately, Julie's no longer exists (I believe it's a tire store now). Which means we had to come up with new plans of action for my much-younger-than-me sister Monica.

One year we had a Baskin Robbins' ice cream cake, which went over well but was very expensive. The next year, we tried to make our own. At the last minute. Which means we took the slab out of the carton, spread a bit of frosting on top and served. The next year, I took a little more time to plan and tried to melt two cartons of cookies n' cream ice cream in a 9x13 dish. That worked a little better, but I didn't give it enough time to melt and reset.

We gave ice cream cakes a break after that.

This past year, Monica asked for an ice cream cake again. And I gave it actual thought before I executed and came up with this, Snickers Ice Cream Cake.

This is what you need:

1/2 gallon chocolate or vanilla or caramel flavored ice cream
1 mix for white or chocolate cake, including eggs, water, oil as directed
caramel ice cream topping
salted peanuts
saran wrap
two baking pans the exact same size

On day one, I melted half a gallon of chocolate ice cream and poured it in a saran wrap-lined 9 inch round cake pan and put it in the freezer flat. (By lining the pan, you'll be able to pull the ice cream layer right out of the pan after it's set.) I made a white cake in a 9-inch round cake pan, only letting it cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then on a rack until completely cool (the rest of the cake batter I made cupcakes with), then leveled it with a serrated knife so that it was the same height as the ice cream layer. I wrapped it loosely but completely in saran wrap, placed it in the (clean) 9-inch pan and put it in the freezer. (Variations: chocolate cake with vanilla or caramel ice cream.)

The next day, I placed the layer of cake on a plate, drizzled caramel topping (I made my own, melting 20 caramels and mixing it with 2 tablespoons of milk) and salted peanuts on that layer. Then I pulled the ice cream layer out of the pan, pulled off the plastic wrap, placed it on top of the caramel drizzle, and then drizzled more caramel and peanuts on top of that.

Serve cold!