Monday's Menu

My son's birthday was Friday and he requested an ice cream cake. They are really simple to make at home. So I thought I would share for anyone else who would like to make one.

I have worked for two different Baskin-Robbins stores when I was younger and making cakes was one of my primary jobs. As the stores slowly disappear from our area, I find home made may not just be cheaper. It may be the only way to go.

Perhaps the most important part is to make sure you get a carton of ice cream that is one of the square cardboard types. This is usually among the cheaper brands as well so that works for our goal of a less expensive cake.

You also want the ice cream to be fairly well set so don't yank it out of your grocery bag and go. Go ahead and make your cake and let it cool.

Have your cake board ready to go. And a space in the freezer for it. Pull out your carton of ice cream and peel the cardboard away so that you have a big squarish hunk of ice cream.

Now you need to cut it. You can use a long knife or dental floss. You want to have an idea of how thick to make your ice cream layer. If your cake is a 9x13 pan, you can just cut the ice cream in half so you'll have two equal sized pieces. Measure if you like -- it actually will help you get it more equal.

Lay your ice cream in the center of your cake board. If you need both pieces, just lay them side by side, pushing them together in the center. Position your cake on top of the ice cream layer. And quick, throw it in the freezer.

You can add more ice cream, if you like.

Now, you want to crumb coat it -- a layer of frosting that covers it and acts a base for the frosting that will be seen.

The problem is that ice cream and buttercream do not like each other. So you have to put it on thick and quick, then freeze it good. At BR, we used a thinned ice milk to cover the cake and ice cream. I have also used a thinned, melty vanilla ice cream. But its up to you.

On this one is buttercream.

Then you just frost it again (if needed) and decorate...



See. I told you it was easy.