MrsDrPoe: Easy Ice Cream Cake

Once again we've come to What's for Dinner Wednesday, and once again I've decided to share a recipe with you that's merely a component of dinner...unless you want a stomach ache. The general concept of building an ice cream cake in this fashion came from my mother, and I must say that I greatly prefer an ice cream cake that actually contains cake to one that is just molded and iced ice cream. So without further ado:


Ingredients: 1-2 cakes (baked and unfrosted, any flavor and shape), 1 quart softened ice cream (any flavor), 1 bag powdered sugar, 1 quart heavy whipping cream, 1 stick softened margarine or butter, and food coloring (optional).

To begin the process, I made 2 9" round Cookie and Cream cakes from Williams Sonoma mix that Mama Wolgemuth gave me. If you prefer to have a smaller ice cream cake, you could make a single cake in a 9" round pan, 13x9 pan, or a loaf pan and cut this single cake in half (so that you end up with 2 cake circles half the height of the original cake, etc.). Any flavor* cake works fine, so please make this recipe your own! After the cakes have cooled, wrap them in plastic wrap, and place them in the freezer for an hour (this step can be skipped).

To soften the ice cream, set it out for approximately 15 minutes. Then take one of the cakes (or cake halves) and place it on a plate. Using a spoon and a spatula, scoop the softened ice cream onto the cake, smoothing and leveling as you go:


Use as much of the ice cream as you would like (I used a whole quart of cookies and cream* with my two cakes), again making sure that the top of the ice cream is level when you've finished with this layer. Then place the second cake (or half) on top of the ice cream, pressing down slightly. Immediately cover and place in the freezer for 15-30 minutes so that the ice cream refreezes in form.

In the meantime, make the icing by adding about 1/2 the whipping cream into your mixer bowl. Turn the mixer on med-high and let it run until the cream becomes thicker and fluffy (whipped cream). Then add in the softened butter and mix until incorporated. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and combine. From here, you can alternately add sugar and the liquid cream by 1/4 cups and tablespoons, respectively, until the icing reaches a consistency and sweetness that you like. (You probably won't use all the cream or sugar- be sure to taste as you go!)

When the icing is how you like it, separate and color as you so desire (I left some white and colored some green). Pull the cake out of the freezer and use a spatula to cover it with a layer of icing:


Pay attention to the ice cream layer, as it may begin to melt around the edges before you finish with the icing. If this happens, carefully place the cake back in the freezer for 5 minutes or so, then pull it out and resume icing. When you're finished with this first layer, put the cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Next comes the fun part- the decorating. Of course the cake shouldn't be out of the freezer for an extended period of time, so if your planned method of decorating takes more than 5-10 minutes, make sure you take plenty of breaks and set the cake in the freezer so it will stay firm. My favorite method for this cake is freehand, silly-string patterns around the top edges and simple dots or scallops around the bottom edge:


I haven't had cake recently, and this easy Ice Cream Cake is perfect for the dog days of summer, so I figured you might like to fix it with me for dessert this week. I hope you enjoy!


*Some other great cake/ice cream flavor combos:
vanilla/vanilla, vanilla/chocolate, vanilla/cookies and cream, chocolate/chocolate, chocolate/rocky road, strawberry/strawberry cheesecake, yellow/sweet corn, lemon/lemon sherbert, etc.

MrsDrPoe: Visit to Pennsylvania

Last week after my visit to Raleigh, I continued northward to the great state of Pennsylvania to see more family. It was the first time that Mama and Papa Wolgemuth, Mr. Wolgemuth, Mrs. Luke and I made the trip together in five years:


Our first stop in the state was a grocery store- Stauffers of Kissel Hill. As soon as we walked in the store, we saw Pellman's cheesecakes, which is a company started by some of our extended family. We picked up an Apple Bavarian Cheesecake (it was fabulous!) and a bag of Gibbles chips (Papa Wolgemuth's favorite brand):


During our trek, we got a flat. After Papa Wolgemuth and Mr. Wolgemuth put on the doughnut, we traveled to Mr. Tire to get new rear tires. The service and price were excellent, and we would highly recommend them:


After that hiccup, we visited the (approximate) former homes of two sets of my great grandparents:


We ended up at my aunt and uncle's house (Mr. T. Wolgemuth and Mrs. R. Wolgemuth). They fed us some fantastic subs, and we had some great conversation, which ended with plans to go to a small diner early the next morning based on a two-year-old tip that a cousin of theirs frequented the restaurant for breakfast. We didn't find the cousin, but we ate some tasty food:


Following breakfast, we bid the Wolgemuths farewell and headed to Grandmama and Grandpapa Wolgemuth's house. We have several traditional activities we partake in every time we visit. The first is a grand hike in the woods. This year we saw several trees that had been attacked by woodpeckers. We also passed by the shale pit, beautiful views, a field full of black eyed susans, and some apples growing in the orchard that Grandmama Wolgemuth makes apple sauce with:




Sometimes we get a little crazy when we get out in the fresh mountain air:


We also enjoy swinging in their South American hammock and playing ping pong:



We read Calvin and Hobbs and The Monster Stick, look at some Magic Eye puzzles, and listen to some CW McCall too:


We Wolgemuths like our food; therefore, it only makes sense that we have PA culinary traditions as well. While we were shopping with one of my aunts, Ms. Lowry, we stopped at Gardners' candy store in the Nittany Mall to pick up some of their famous peanut butter meltaways. We always stop by the Penn State creamery on campus for a cone, and we try to pick up a grilled sticky too:


This year we were only able to visit two of our cousins and their families, but it was a very enjoyable visit over dinner and basketball. One of my second cousins, Ms. Veit, is a pretty fantastic player:


At the end of our trip, Mrs. Luke and I flew home to our hubbys:


It was a great mini vacation, and I'm so glad that we were able to go!