Before even opening my eyes on the morning of my children’s birthdays I have a ritual I perform. I have to keep my eyes shut because it helps me remember. I can’t let my brain get flooded with any new information which might impede on my memory, forgetting important details of the events I wish to conjure up.
I go through each birthday, starting with their birth, trying my best to remember each detail, what their faces looked like, what they were wearing, what Armando was wearing, who was there. Some have been huge celebrations, some have been small family affairs. As the years go on, this has started to become a harder and harder task. It takes me a moment to separate the third birthday from the fourth but in the end I succeed, watching them grow right before my eyes.
This past Saturday Louisa turned nine. She is growing in ways I wish she wouldn’t but I know she has to; needing her space, separating herself from me. I remember her sweet little pumpkin face at two and wish I could wrap that little body up in my arms again.
This year she wanted to be in charge of every aspect of her birthday from picking out her presents—long gone are the days when I can buy her clothes that she will actually wear—to making the cake. She couldn’t decide between our favorite chocolate cake and an ice cream cake, so we decided to do both!
The chocolate cake is Ashley’s recipe which is so perfectly perfect there is nothing I can improve upon, so you will need to hop over to her site to get the recipe. For the ice cream cake you will only need to make the cake part, not the frosting. Bake the cake in 3 (9-inch) cake pans. You will only use two of them for this recipe but you’ll have no problem finishing off the third layer by itself.
To assemble the cake, I used a 10in-x-3in springform cake pan. This is wide and deep enough to fit all the layers. Center the cake layers in the middle and then the ice cream has room to cover the cake completely. Let one quart of ice cream sit out and soften at a time. You only need to let it sit out 10-15 minutes so it is still solid, but soft enough to mold into the pan. If it is too soft, put it back in the freezer and let it get hard again.
Oh, and it goes without saying that this doesn’t have to be a Cookies and Cream ice cream cake. Use whatever flavor ice cream is your favorite, the possibilities are infinite.
Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Not Without Salt's Chocolate Cake made in 3 (9-inch) cake pans, cooled completely
- 2 quarts Cookies and Cream Ice Cream
- 1 (14-ounce) package Oreos, crushed
- sprinkles and candles of your liking
Instructions
- Spray a 10-inch (ideally 3-inches deep) springform pan. Place one layer of chocolate cake in the center and cover with 1 quart softened ice cream.
- Evenly spread over the top with a large offset spatula, pressing into the edges between the cake and the side of the pan. Cover with a half of the crushed cookies. Freeze until hard.
- Place another cake layer, then the second quart of ice cream smoothing it into all the empty spaces. Sprinkle remaining cookies on top and sprinkles if your using them. Freeze until solid.
- To serve, pop the sides off the pan, slice and serve. After singing Happy Birthday, of course.
Notes
The prep time is minimal but you will have to wait about an hour for the cake to freeze in-between layers so plan accordingly.
One More Thing
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