Special occasions need a special dessert and this one is definitely that. The base is a dark chocolate brownie and the ice cream is coffee ice cream with swirls of chocolate fudge. Yum!
Brownie:
10 oz. dark chocolate, chopped, divided
3/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. unsalted butter, sliced into tablespoons
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2/3 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. fine sea salt
Ice Cream Ingredients:
1 1/2 pint (3/4 quart) coffee ice cream
2 T. chocolate fudge
Brownie:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line an 8 inch round cake pan with parchment paper; lightly grease; set aside.
Over a double boiler, gently melt together 8 oz. chopped chocolate with both sugars and butter. When mixture is smooth and melted, remove from double boiler; allow to cool slightly.
Add eggs, 1 at a time, to cooled chocolate mixture; whisk after adding each egg until egg is incorporated.
In a small bowl, whisk together flour and salt; add flour mixture and remaining 2 oz. chopped chocolate to batter. Fold to combine until there are no longer any dry streaks of flour. Pour into prepared cake pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until center of brownie no longer jiggles and a wooden toothpick inserted in center of brownie comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan for about 5 minutes. Run a mini offset spatula around the edges of brownie to un-mold brownie. Place on a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Assembly:
Place cake ring mold on top of a parchment lined baking sheet. Line cake ring mold with acetate. Place cooled brownie on top of the cake board and place inside the ring mold.
For homemade coffee ice cream:
Use fresh ice cream while it's still a little soft. Spread on top of brownie layer. Cover with plastic wrap; freeze for 2-3 hours, or until the ice cream layer is solid.
For store bought ice cream:
Place ice cream in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment; beat ice cream until softened and spreadable, but still cold. Spread ice cream on top of brownie layer. Cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for 2-3 hours, or until the ice cream layer is solid.
Remove ice cream cake from freezer; add vanilla ice cream layer to it using the homemade or store bought directions.
Spread vanilla ice cream into an even layer; dollop chocolate fudge over vanilla. Use a knife to swirl chocolate into ice cream. Cover with plastic wrap; return to freezer for another 3 hours, or until ice cream layer is solid. At this point, overnight is best to ensure ice cream cake layers are set.
Remove ice cream from freezer; gently remove metal cake ring mold; gently peel off acetate strip. If ice cream cake starts to melt, cover with plastic wrap and return to freezer.
Use a sharp knife to cut into cake. Brownie layer will be a bit stiff during slicing and will soften while eating.
Serve immediately!
Keep leftovers well wrapped and covered with plastic wrap in the freezer.
Makes an 8 inch cake.