Lauren is also a contributor to 'Baking With Julia,' a cookbook written by Julia Child. She is a food writer for many national food magazines and is the owner of Lauren Groveman's Kitchen, a cooking and baking instruction school in Larchmont, New York.
She can be reached at l.groveman@worldnet.att.net or http://www.LaurenGroveman.com or 914-834-1372.
Quick and Easy Ice Cream Birthday Cake
For Kids from 3 to 103!
Yield: one 9-inch cake; serves 12
This candy-studded cake is always requested by my children, husband, parents, brothers and friends. When their birthdays roll around, I wouldn't think of serving anything else. Although I love making homemade ice cream I usually purchase best-quality commercially prepared ice cream for this cake (Häagen-Dazs is my favorite). Throughout this recipe I've specified my favorite specialty brand names but if you're partial to another of the same sort, by all means go for it!
* Special Equipment
9-inch springform pan
Food processor (optional)
Electric mixer or a balloon whisk and wide shallow bowl
Metal icing spatula, preferably with an elbow bend
Pastry bag with star tip
Cardboard cake box (optional), for freezing
Ingredients
1 box Nabisco thin chocolate wafers
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
1 stick (1/4 pound) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 pints each best-quality vanilla, chocolate and strawberry ice cream, softened to a spreadable (not soupy) consistency
4 large Butterfinger bars, crumbled (hit with a can or meat mallet while still wrapped)
1 1/2 cups crushed Oreo cookies (regular or fudge-covered)
1 recipe Perfect Whipped Cream (see recipe)
Optional Toppings
Assorted colored sprinkles (also called "Jimmies")
Cake decorating gel
Chopped unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
M&M's candies (regular or peanut filled)
1) To prepare cookie crust: Put chocolate wafers in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and grind them fine. Alternatively, place broken up cookies (in batches) in a heavy-duty plastic bag and roll over them with a rolling pin until finely crushed. Transfer crumbs to another bowl and whisk in cinnamon, if using.
Add melted butter, mixing with a fork until thoroughly blended. Press a thin layer of crumbs on the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan, using all of the crumbs. Place pan in freezer to firm up crust while ice cream continues to soften to a spreadable consistency.
2) To set up to assemble cake: Line a shallow baking sheet with waxed paper and place chilled crust on the tray. Squeeze vanilla ice cream out of its containers onto the bottom of the crust. Using a metal spatula and your hands, spread the softened ice cream evenly over the bottom of the crust.
(Dip your hands in the hot water as necessary but always dry them thoroughly before continuing.) Cover ice cream with crumbled Butterfinger bars, pressing gently.
Spread chocolate ice cream over crumbs and cover with crushed Oreos, again pressing gently. Cover crushed cookies with strawberry ice cream and smooth the top with a metal spatula. Place into the freezer to firm for 1 hour.
3) To top cake: Prepare whipped cream as directed in recipe. Spread 2/3 of the whipped cream over the top of cake and reserve the rest for a decorative border. (For smoothest surface, spread only once in one direction then scrape off excess whipped cream into bowl. Continue spreading and scraping until surface is perfectly smooth.) Return cake to the freezer for 10 to 20 minutes, just to firm the whipped cream.
4) To decorate cake: Fit your pastry bag with a star tip and fill bag with remaining whipped cream. Remove cake from freezer and pipe on a simple swirled border around its circumference. If desired, sprinkle border with some colored sprinkles. Return to freezer to firm for 20 minutes. Then, if desired, write a message on top with decorating gel and/or sprinkle the inside of the piped whipped cream with another thin border of crushed unsalted peanuts or a ring of M&M's.
5) To freeze and store cake: Freeze cake (uncovered) for up to 4 hours. For longer storage, either purchase a cardboard cake box from a bakery or stick toothpicks in the border of peanuts (to camouflage the holes) and drape aluminum foil loosely over the top. This will help prevent freezer burn.
6) To remove springform sides and serve: When cake is thoroughly frozen, dip a dish towel in very hot water and wring it out. Place the hot towel around the sides of the pan to help release it from the crust. Unlatch lock and ease off sides. Return cake to freezer. To serve, remove cake from freezer 30 to 40 minutes before serving to enable it to become softened enough to cut into wedges. Present the cake whole and cut into wedges at the table.
Tips from a Teacher: How to Fill and Use a Pastry Bag
Although disposable pastry bags are wonderful for piping very soft mixtures, I don't recommend them for mixtures with texture (even minced vegetables), since they often clog up the tip. For the heavier and more textural mixtures, I recommend the sturdier bags made of either tightly woven cloth, nylon, plastic-lined cotton or polyester. To develop proficiency with a pastry bag, practice with mashed potatoes of different consistency.
To fill pastry bag: Insert the tip of your choice into the bag (pointed side down). (If using a professional bag, secure tip in place with the plastic screw attachment.) Place bag (tip down) into a tall drinking glass and fold top of bag over the rim of the glass to form a cuff. Fill inside of bag no more than two-thirds full using a rubber spatula. Alternatively, simply cuff the top portion of bag over one hand and scoop your filling into bag with your other hand. Gather the folded portion of bag at the top and, after pushing out any excess air at the top, twist shut. Proceed to pipe your mixture or secure bag with a "twisty" from a trash-bag box, place bag (tip down) in a tall glass and refrigerate until needed. This way, the bag can stand upright without the contents spilling out.
To use pastry bag: Grasp bag at the top where it's twisted shut and place your other hand underneath bag so you can control the tip. Remove excess air from bag by gently squeezing from the top until some filling extrudes through the bottom tip. When piping your mixture, always squeeze from the top with one hand and direct the tip with the other hand. When squeezing, adjust the pressure according to the density of the mixture being piped. Your tip should be positioned at a 45 degree angle, just above the area to be piped. For the most balance and control, hold top of bag close to your body as you bend toward the area to be piped.
To clean pastry bag: After each use, you must thoroughly clean and air-dry your pastry bag. Make sure to check the seams as you rinse to remove any filmy residue or hidden bits of food. To dry, place the large opening of the cleaned empty bag (turned inside out) over a tall wine bottle for a few hours or overnight. And, if you detect an off or sour odor, it's time to purchase another bag since they don't last forever.
Perfect Whipped Cream
Yield: about 4 cups
* Special Equipment
Electric mixer or a large balloon whisk and a wide, shallow bowl
* Ingredients
2 cups very cold heavy cream (preferably not ultrapasteurized)
1/4 cup regular or superfine sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1) To whip cream by hand: Add cold cream to a chilled, wide and shallow bowl.
Tilt one side of the bowl upward slightly with your hand and grasp a large balloon whisk in your other hand. Apply large, sweeping, circular strokes to the cream in a continuous, repetitive motion until the cream becomes thick.
Once thickened, add sugar and vanilla while continuing to beat. (To relieve some of the pressure from your mixing arm, hug the bowl in toward your body as you continue to whip until you reach the desired consistency.)
2) To whip with an electric mixer: Place cold cream in the chilled bowl and begin to beat with the chilled whip attachment. As cream begins to thicken, add vanilla and gradually increase the speed while adding the sugar in a steady stream. Beat until the cream is of desired consistency, checking the consistency frequently to avoid overbeating.
3) To store: Use the whipped cream as desired and refrigerate leftovers in a covered bowl or secured in a pastry bag (with the tip in place) standing within a tall drinking glass.
Variations
Fold 1 to 2 tablespoons melted chocolate into the already thickened cream. Or, reduce the vanilla to 1/2 teaspoon and, when adding to the cream, add 1 tablespoon of your favorite liqueur.
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