Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy

Hello, my lovelies! It’s time again for another droolworthy creation from the Daring Bakers. This month it’s all about the perfect summertime treat - cool and creamy ice cream. The July 2010 Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Sunita of Sunita’s World – Life and Food. Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice-cream filled Swiss roll that’s then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

The bombe or ice cream cake begins with a light and thin sponge cake which is slathered with a whipped cream filling and rolled up to make a Swiss roll. Slices of the Swiss roll are used to line a bowl and are then filled with alternating layers of softened ice cream and fudge topping. Then, the whole thing is frozen solid, unmolded and served. Don’t let your eyes roll back into your head just yet. You’ll need them to read how to make this dreamy dessert.

In Sunita’s original recipe the sponge cake is flavored with cocoa and vanilla and chocolate ice creams are used for the layers. One of my all time favorite ice cream desserts is a Mississippi Mud Pie that I first had while on a cruise. It’s a decadent concoction consisting of a chocolate cookie crust filled with coffee and chocolate ice creams separated by a layer of thick ribbons of hot fudge. Absolutely sublime! When figuring out what kind of twist I wanted to try with this bombe, I decided to use the same flavors that are in the pie, hence the name Mississippi Mud Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake. I know it’s a mouthful, but so is this cake! I stayed with the chocolate cake, chocolate ice cream and fudge, but swapped out the vanilla ice cream for a rich and luscious java chip ice cream made with coffee beans, espresso powder and dark chocolate bits. I flavored my cream Swiss roll cream filling with coffee as well. It was brilliant! The chocolate cake rolls took the place of the cookie crust, and the rest….. homemade coffee and chocolate ice creams, dark chocolate bits, hot fudge….. Need I say more?

Although, this recipe is pretty lengthy and does take quite a while to put together, none of the steps are the least bit difficult. In fact, you could skip making your own ice cream and just use a good quality store-bought product. That would save you the better part of a day. Hell, you could even buy the hot fudge sauce too, and save even more time.

If you’d like to see lots more beautiful and creative variations of this Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake, grab a fork and stop by the Daring Bakers blogroll.

Mississippi Mud Swiss Roll Ice Cream Cake
inspired by the recipe of the same name from the Taste of Home website

Swiss Cake Rolls

Preparation time- 10 minutes
Baking time- 10-12 minutes
Rolling and cooling time- at least 30 minutes
Filling-5-8 minutes
Filling and rolling- 5-10 minutes

Ingredients

For the cake:

6 medium sized eggs
1 C / 225 gms caster sugar /8 oz+ extra for rolling
6 tblsp / 45gms/ a pinch over 1.5 oz of all purpose (plain) flour + 5 tblsp/40gm /a pinch under 1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted together
2 tblsp /30ml / 1 fl oz of boiling water
Oil for brushing the pans

For the filling:

2C / 500 mls/ 16 fl oz of whipping cream
1 vanilla pod, cut into small pieces of about ½ cm (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
5 tblsp / 70gms/2.5oz of caster sugar
2 teaspoons instant espresso powder*

Directions

Preheat the oven to 200 deg C /400 deg F. Brush to 11×9-inch baking pans with a little flavorless oil and line with parchment paper. If you have just one pan, bake one cake and then let the pan cool completely before using it for the next cake.

In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar and beat till very thick; when the beaters are lifted, it should leave a trail on the surface for at least 10 seconds. Add the flour mixture, in three batches and fold in gently with a spatula. Fold in the water.

Divide the mixture among the two baking pans and spread it out evenly, into the corners of the pans. Place a pan in the center of the preheated oven and bake for about 10-12 minutes or till the centre is springy to the touch. When done, bake the second cake.

Spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle a little caster sugar over it. Turn the cake on to the towel and peel away the baking paper. Trim any crisp edges. Starting from one of the shorter sides, start to make a roll with the towel going inside. Cool the wrapped roll on a rack, seam side down. Repeat the same for the next cake as well.

Grind together the vanilla pieces and sugar in a food processer till nicely mixed together. If you are using vanilla extract, just grind the sugar on its own and then add the sugar and extract to the cream.

In a large bowl, add the cream, vanilla-sugar mixture and espresso powder. Beat until stiff peaks form.

Open the cake rolls and spread half of the cream filling on each cake, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Roll the cakes up again, this time without the towel. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge till needed, seam side down.

Java Chip Ice Cream
liberally adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups whole coffee beans (Use decaf if you don’t want the caffeine in your ice cream)
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
5 large egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2-3 teaspoons instant espresso powder, according to taste
1 tablespoon coffee liqueur
1/2 cup good quality semisweet chocolate chopped into small bits

Directions:

Heat the milk, sugar, whole coffee beans, salt, and 1/2 cup of the cream in a medium saucepan until it is hot and steamy, but not boiling. Cover, remove from the heat, and let steep at room temperature for 1 hour.

Pour the remaining 1 cup of cream into a medium size metal bowl, set over a larger bowl filled with ice. Set a mesh strainer on top of the bowls. Set aside.

Reheat the milk and coffee mixture, on medium heat, again, until hot and steamy, but not boiling. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks together. Slowly pour the heated milk and coffee mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly so that the egg yolks are tempered by the warm milk, but not cooked by it. Scrape the warmed egg yolks back into the saucepan.

Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat with a heatproof spatula or wooden spoon, scraping the bottom as you stir, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spatula or spoon.

Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Press on the coffee beans in the strainer to extract as much of the coffee flavor as possible. Discard the beans. Mix in the vanilla, espresso powder and liqueur, and stir a few minutes to release the steam.

Chill the mixture for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. When the ice cream is finished churning, mix in the chocolate bits and freeze until firm.

Makes 1 quart.

Chocolate Ice Cream
adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz.

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream, divided
3 Tablespoons unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used Valhrona)
5 ounces good quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
5 large egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Place a medium saucepan over low heat. Add 1 cup of the cream and the cocoa powder into the pan. Whisk mixture briskly to combine, and bring to a boil. Once liquid is boiling immediately reduce the heat to a simmer, and whisk constantly for about 30 seconds. Turn off the heat and remove pan from the burner. Add the chopped chocolate into the liquid and stir until it is melted and smooth. Next, add in the remaining 1 cup of cream and stir to combine. Transfer all of the liquid into a medium bowl, and place a fine mesh strainer on top of the bowl. Set bowl aside and make the custard.

Return the medium saucepan to the stove over low heat. Add the milk, sugar, and salt into the saucepan. Heat gently until the mixture begins to steam but not bubble. While the liquid is warming, in a separate medium bowl whisk the egg yolks together. Once the liquid is warmed, slowly pour it into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to prevent the eggs from scrambling. Once the liquid and eggs are well combined, scrape the mixture back into the pan. Place the pan over a medium heat, and stir constantly. Be sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan while you stir. Once the custard has thickened to the point that it coats the back of your spoon, remove it from the heat.

Pour the custard through the strainer into the medium bowl of chocolate liquid. When fully combined, stir well and add in the vanilla. Place the medium bowl of liquid in a larger bowl partially filled with ice water to cool quickly. Stir occasionally until the mixture has cooled enough to be transferred into the fridge. Press a layer of plastic wrap on top of the liquid to cover and prevent a skin from forming on the top of the custard.

Place the bowl in the fridge and chill for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight. Once the mixture is chilled, transfer to your ice cream maker and freeze according the manufacturer’s instructions. If you find that the custard is too thick to pour, give it a stiff whisk or two to thin it out and then place it in the ice cream maker.

Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:

1 C / 230gms/ 8 oz of caster sugar
3 tblsp / 24gms/1.5 oz of natural unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tblsp /15gms/ 1 oz of cornstarch
1 and ½ C /355ml /12 fl oz of water
1 tblsp /14gms/ 1 oz butter
1 tsp/5 ml / .15 fl oz vanilla extract

Directions:

In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and water.

Place the pan over medium heat, and stir constantly, until it begins to thicken and is smooth (for about 2 minutes). Remove from heat and mix in the butter and vanilla. Set aside to cool .

Assembly:

Cut the Swiss rolls into 10-20 equal slices, depending on the size of your mold. Meanwhile, take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften.

Cover the bottom and sides of the mold/bowl in which you are going to set the dessert with plastic wrap.

Arrange two slices at the bottom of the pan, with their seam sides facing each other. Arrange the Swiss roll slices up the bowl, with the seam sides facing away from the bottom, to cover the sides of the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze until the slices are firm (at least 30 minutes).

Take the mold/bowl out of the freezer, remove the cling film cover and spread the java chip ice cream on top of the cake slices and up the sides. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and freeze until firm.

Pour the cooled fudge sauce over the ice cream, cover and freeze until firm .

Remove from freezer and spread softened chocolate ice cream over the fudge sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4-5 hours till completely set .

Remove the plastic cover, and place a serving plate on top of the mold/bowl. Turn it upside down and remove the bowl and the plastic lining. If the bowl does not come away easily, wipe the outsides of the bowl with a kitchen towel dampened with hot water. The bowl will come away easily.

Keep the cake out of the freezer for at least 10 minutes before slicing, depending on how hot your region is. Slice with a sharp knife, dipped in hot water.

Enjoy!