Ice Cream Cake From Nigella Lawson Food

ICE CREAM CAKE FROM NIGELLA LAWSON

Steps:

• Let the ice cream soften either in the refrigerator for a while, or out in the kitchen.
• Line a 8-inch springform tin with clingfilm/clingwrap, both in the bottom and sides of the tin so that you have some overhang at the top.
• Empty the slightly softened ice cream into a bowl and mix in the peanuts, 150g/1 cup chocolate and peanut morsels or chips, Crunchie shards/honeycomb shards and 100g/1 cup of the Bourbon biscuit crumbs/chocolate cookie crumbs.
• Scrape the ice cream mixture into the springform tin flattening the top like a cake, and cover the top with clingfilm/clingwrap and place in the freezer to firm up.
• Serve the cake straight from the freezer, unmould from the tin and pulling the clingfilm/clingwrap gently away before putting on a plate or cake stand.
• Sprinkle the top of the cake with the extra 50g/1/4 cup of chocolate and peanut morsels or chips, and the remaining Bourbon biscuit crumbs/chocolate cookie crumbs.
• Cut into slices and serve with the butterscotch and chocolate sauces, letting both dribble lacily over each slice. If 2 sauces sound like too much trouble - they're not - just opt for the chocolate peanut butter sauce. It's hard to find an argument against it.

CHOCOLATE CLOUD CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of the cake pan with baking parchment.
• Melt the chocolate either in a double boiler or a microwave, add the butter and let melt in the warm chocolate.
• Beat the 2 whole eggs and 4 egg yolks with 1/3 cup of the sugar, then gently add the chocolate mixture, the orange-flavored liqueur and the orange zest.
• In another bowl, whisk the 4 egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the remaining sugar and whisk until the whites hold their shape but are not too stiff. Lighten the chocolate mixture with a dollop of egg whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the cake is risen and cracked and the center is no long wobbly. Cool the cake in its pan on a wire rack; the middle will sink as it cools.
• When you are ready to eat, place the still pan-bound cake on a cake stand or plate for serving and carefully remove the sides of the pan from the cake. Don't worry about cracks or rough edges, it's the crater look we're going for here. Whip the cream until it's soft and then add the vanilla and orange-flavored liqueur and continue whisking until the cream is firm but not stiff. Fill the crater of the cake with the whipped cream, easing it out gently towards the edges of the cake, and dust the top lightly with cocoa powder pushed through a tea-strainer.

ICE CREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Let the ice cream soften either in the refrigerator for a while, or out in the kitchen.
• Line a 8-inch springform tin with clingfilm/clingwrap, both in the bottom and sides of the tin so that you have some overhang at the top.
• Empty the slightly softened ice cream into a bowl and mix in the peanuts, 150g/1 cup chocolate and peanut morsels or chips, Crunchie shards/honeycomb shards and 100g/1 cup of the Bourbon biscuit crumbs/chocolate cookie crumbs.
• Scrape the ice cream mixture into the springform tin flattening the top like a cake, and cover the top with clingfilm/clingwrap and place in the freezer to firm up.
• Serve the cake straight from the freezer, unmould from the tin and pulling the clingfilm/clingwrap gently away before putting on a plate or cake stand.
• Sprinkle the top of the cake with the extra 50g/1/4 cup of chocolate and peanut morsels or chips, and the remaining Bourbon biscuit crumbs/chocolate cookie crumbs.
• Cut into slices and serve with the butterscotch and chocolate sauces, letting both dribble lacily over each slice. If 2 sauces sound like too much trouble - they're not - just opt for the chocolate peanut butter sauce. It's hard to find an argument against it.

MARGARITA ICE CREAM

Steps:

• Pour the lime juice, tequila and orange liqueur into a bowl and stir in the sugar to dissolve.
• Add the cream and then softly whip until thick and smooth but not stiff.
• Spoon into an airtight container to freeze overnight. This ice cream does not need ripening (softening before serving), as it will not freeze too hard and melts speedily and voluptuously.

MERINGUE GELATO CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE SAUCE

Steps:

• For the Meringue Gelato Cake: Line a 450g / 1lb loaf tin with clingfilm, making sure you have enough overhang to cover the top later. Whip the cream until thick but still soft. Chop the chocolate very finely so that you have a pile of dark splinters, and fold them into the cream, along with the liqueur. Now, using brute force, crumble the meringue nests and fold these in, too. Pack this mixture into the prepared loaf tin, pressing it down with a spatula as you go, and bring the clingfilm up and over to seal the top, then get out more clingfilm to wrap around the whole tin. Freeze until solid, which should take around 8 hours, or overnight. To serve, unwrap the outer layer of plastic wrap, then unpeel the top and use these bits of long overhanging wrap to lift out the ice-cream brick. Unwrap and unmould it onto a board and cut the frozen meringue cake into slabs to serve. I like to zig-zag a little chocolate sauce over each slice, and sprinkle a few raspberries alongside on each plate. For the Chocolate Sauce: Pour the cream into a saucepan and add the tiny bits of chocolate. Put over a gentle heat and whisk as the chocolate melts, taking the pan off the heat once the chocolate is almost all melted. If the mixture gets too hot, the chocolate will seize, whereas it will happily continue melting in the warm cream off the heat. Add the liqueur, still off the heat, and whisk again to amalgamate the sauce completely. Pour into a jug, whisking every now and again until it cools to just subtly warm.