Summer Ice Cream Cake

This ice cream cake has two magical layers. The first, Nigella's meringue gelato cake - creamy with morsels of marshmallowy meringue and a hint of coffee liquer. The second, a super easy chocolate ice cream - just rich chocolatey goodness. Topped with wonderfully ripe cherries, raspberries and pomegranate seeds, it's a great way to a cool down on a sweltering hot summer's day.

 For how good it looks and tastes, it's a crime how easy it is to put together. I was surprised that there was absolutely no churning involved yet the texture of the ice cream was smooth and creamy.

Ingredients
300ml double cream
105g chocolate, chopped (I used milk chocolate, mama likes it sweet)
30ml coffee liquer
100g meringues
600ml pure cream
¼ cup cocoa powder
4 egg yolks
½ cup caster sugar
Fruit to top with

1. Whip the double cream until soft peaks form. Add 30g of chopped chocolate and coffee liquer and fold. Crush the meringues into the mixture and fold until combined.
2. Place mixture in a loaf tin lined with baking paper and pack down into all the corners. Put in freezer.
3. Heat the pure cream, 75g of chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a saucepan on low heat until the chocolate has melted.
4. Whisk egg yolks and caster sugar in a large bowl until pale and creamy. Slowly pour in heated cream mixture, whisking constantly. Pour the whole mixture into the saucepan, cook on a low heat, stirring constantly until it thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
5. Cool the chocolate mixture down in a bowl (clingwrap the top so it doesn't form a skin) then pour into the loaf tin on top of the first layer. Put in freezer for at least 4 hours or overnight.
6. Once frozen, flip the ice cream cake onto a plate and top with fruits. Serve quickly and enjoy!

Ridiculously Rich Chocolate Cake

I received this set of Simple Essentials cookbooks by Donna Hay for my birthday last year (thanks Barb!). When every recipe in this chocolate edition is absolutely drool-worthy, there's only one thing to do: combine 3 of them to create a monster of a cake! With almost one kilo of chocolate and half a kilo of butter in it, this is by far the most indulgent cake I've ever had.

Chocolate mud cake

375g butter, softened
1⅓ cups brown sugar
3 eggs
2 cups plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
⅔ cup cocoa powder, double sifted
200g melted dark chocolate
¾ cup milk

Preheat oven to 160°C. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric beater for 8-10 minutes, or until the mixture is light and creamy. Gradually add eggs and beat well. Sift flour, baking powder and cocoa powder, then fold into the butter and sugar. Fold melted chocolate in. Spoon mixture into a 22cm round cake tin (I used one with a removable base), lined with baking paper. Bake for 1¼ hours. Cool in tin.

Wrap the cake in plastic and place in freezer for at least 2 hours. Using a bread knife, level off the top of the cake. Turn upside down so the base is the top. Cut the cake in half, horizontally.

Chocolate mousse filling

2 teaspoons powdered gelatine
2 tablespoons water
200g dark chocolate, chopped
75g butter
2 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
4 eggs, separated
1 cup single or pouring cream
3 tablespoons icing sugar, sifted

Place water and gelatine in a bowl. Set aside for 5 minutes. Melt chocolate, butter and cocoa in a saucepan over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and stir in gelatine mixture until dissolved. Pour mixture into a bowl. Add egg yolks gradually, beating well. Set aside. Whisk the cream with electric beater until soft peaks form. Set aside. Whisk egg whites with electric beater until soft peaks form. Gradually add icing sugar. Whisk until thick and glossy. Gently fold egg white mixture with chocolate mixture. Fold the whipped cream through.

Place bottom layer of chocolate mud cake back in the round cake tin. Pour chocolate mousse filling on top. Wrap up top layer with plastic again. Fridge for 2 hours. Remove from cake tin (this is where the removable base comes in handy) and put top layer on. Set aside in fridge.

Chocolate truffles

400g dark chocolate, chopped
¾ cup single or pouring cream
Cocoa powder, sifted

Melt chocolate and cream over low heat until smooth. Pour mixture into a 15x18cm dish lined with baking paper. Fridge for 2-3 hours. Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls. Dust with cocoa powder. Fridge for another hour.

For a nice touch, decorate the top of the cake with chocolate truffles around the edge. If you're not serving it immediately, I suggest serving the chocolate truffles on each plate as they will melt if left out of the fridge for too long.

Chocolate mud cake, chocolate mousse filling and chocolate truffles recipes from Simple Essentials: Chocolate by Donna Hay.

Enjoy!