Mile High Ice Cream Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Line an 8-quart bowl with overhanging plastic wrap.
• Tip the coffee ice cream into the bowl and smooth the surface. Sprinkle over the chopped pecans and freeze until the ice cream is firm, at least 1 hour.
• Tip the chocolate ice cream into the bowl and smooth the surface. Sprinkle over the chocolate-coated toffee pieces and freeze until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, make the crust: Put the sandwich cookies in a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs. Pour in the melted butter and pulse to combine.
• Tip the vanilla ice cream into the bowl and smooth the surface. Tip the crust on top of the vanilla ice cream, spread it evenly and press down firmly. Freeze again until completely set, 4 hours and up to overnight.
• Turn out the pie onto a board or serving platter lined with 4 squares of parchment arranged so that the paper overhangs the edges of the platter. Peel off the plastic wrap and pour over the chocolate shell ice cream sauce to coat the entire pie. Carefully slide out the sheets of parchment and discard.
• To serve, cut big slices of pie, drizzle over some warm caramel sauce and stick a steak knife into the center standing up.

Steps:

• In 3-quart heavy saucepan, cook sugar and water over medium-low heat, stirring often, until sugar is dissolved. Increase heat to medium-high; boil gently, without stirring, about 8 minutes, until syrup turns a deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan. (Swirling the pan, instead of stirring, promotes more even cooking.) Gradually add whipping cream (sauce will bubble vigorously). Add 1/3 cup butter; stir gently until smooth. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Set aside.
• Heat oven to 325°F. In small bowl, mix cookie crumbs and 1/4 cup butter. Press crumbs in bottom of ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool completely.
• Spoon 1 pint dulce de leche ice cream into cooled crust; spread evenly. Drizzle 1/3 cup of the Caramel Sauce over ice cream; sprinkle with 3/4 cup of the pecans. Freeze 15 minutes or until ice cream is almost firm. Repeat layers with chocolate ice cream, another 1/3 cup Caramel Sauce and remaining 3/4 cup pecans. Freeze until almost firm. Top with remaining dulce de leche ice cream and another 1/3 cup Caramel Sauce. Cover; freeze 6 hours or up to 2 weeks. Refrigerate remaining 3/4 cup Caramel Sauce until serving time.
• Before serving, remove side and bottom of pan; place pie on serving plate. Top with whipped cream topping. In small microwavable bowl, microwave remaining Caramel Sauce uncovered on High 1 minute or until warm. Drizzle sauce over each serving.

Steps:

• For cake:
• Butter three 8-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Line bottom of each pan with parchment paper round; butter parchment. Dust pans with flour; tap out excess. Whisk 11/4 cups hot water, cocoa powder, and sour cream in medium bowl until smooth; set aside until mixture is cool, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 325°F. Sift next 4 ingredients into another medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter and shortening in large bowl until well blended and smooth. Add both sugars; beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Mix in vanilla. Add flour mixture in 3 additions alternately with cocoa mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until incorporated. Divide batter among prepared pans (about 23/4 cups batter for each) and smooth tops.
• Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes. Cool cakes in pans on racks 20 minutes. Run knife around sides of cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto racks and cool completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Wrap in plastic and store at room temperature.
• For vanilla buttercream:
• Combine egg whites and 1/3 cup sugar in large bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment; scrape in seeds from vanilla bean.
• Combine remaining 1 1/3 cups sugar and 1/3 cup water in medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Attach candy thermometer to side of pan, making sure that bulb of thermometer is immersed in syrup. Increase heat; boil until temperature registers 238°F to 240°F (soft-ball stage), about 5 minutes. Immediately remove syrup from heat (use within 2 minutes).
• Meanwhile, beat egg white mixture on medium speed until very soft peaks form (mixture will be slightly opaque).
• Increase mixer speed to high and slowly pour hot syrup down side of bowl into egg white mixture in slow steady stream; beat until meringue forms stiff peaks. Cool meringue in bowl until lukewarm (instant read thermometer will register 100°F), about 30 minutes. Do not beat.
• Start beating meringue again on medium speed of stand mixer. Gradually add butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time, beating constantly until absorbed before adding next addition. Continue beating until buttercream is smooth. (If buttercream looks broken or curdled, place mixer bowl with buttercream over medium heat on stove burner and whisk with large whisk for 5 to 10 seconds to warm mixture slightly, then remove from heat and whisk vigorously or attach bowl to stand mixer and beat mixture again on medium speed. Repeat warming and beating buttercream mixture as many times as needed until buttercream is smooth and no longer curdled.)
• Using serrated knife, cut each cake in half horizontally, forming 6 cake layers. If necessary, trim any domed tops of cakes to form even layers. Place 1 cake layer on platter. Drop 3/4 cup buttercream by tablespoonfuls over top of cake layer, then spread evenly to edges with offset spatula. Top with second cake layer, then spread 3/4 cup buttercream over. Repeat with 3 more cake layers, spreading 3/4 cup buttercream over each and pressing slightly to adhere. Top with 6th cake layer (do not spread buttercream over top cake layer). Chill cake at least 1 hour.
• For chocolate glaze:
• Combine both chocolates in medium bowl. Bring cream and corn syrup to simmer in heavy saucepan. Pour hot cream mixture over chocolate; let stand 2 minutes. Whisk chocolate mixture until melted and smooth. Add butter; whisk until melted. Chill glaze until slightly thickened and glaze drips thickly when poured slowly from spoon, 30 to 45 minutes.
• Spoon glaze around top edge of cake by teaspoonfuls, spacing drips up to 2 inches apart and allowing glaze to drip slowly down sides of cake. Spoon remaining glaze over top center of cake and smooth with offset spatula, covering top completely. Chill cake until glaze sets, at least 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Tent with foil and keep chilled. Let cake stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Steps:

• Line a 9-by-13-inch pan with two layers of plastic wrap, leaving a few inches of overhang on all sides. Open all of the ice cream containers. Place one 1 1/2 quart (or 3 pints) on the counter and let soften until it resembles thick cake batter, 5 to 10 minutes; you'll use this ice cream first. Place the other containers in the refrigerator to soften while you build the first half of the cake. (Ice cream will reach the desired consistency in the refrigerator in 20 to 30 minutes.)
• Scatter the crushed cookies in a thin, even layer across the bottom of the pan. Spoon the first softened container of ice cream over the cookies and spread into an even layer. Press down as you go to adhere the ice cream to the cookies. If at any point the ice cream is melting to liquid, pop the cake and ice cream in the freezer to firm to a spoonable consistency.
• Place the pan in the freezer while you unwrap the sandwiches. Top the ice cream with a layer of ice cream sandwiches, cutting some as needed to fill the layer to the edges.
• Spoon the remaining ice cream over the top and spread into an even layer. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least 2 hours or up to 1 week.
• To serve, use the plastic overhang to remove the cake from the pan. Cut into squares or rectangles and serve with a drizzle of hot fudge or Magic Shell. If you're finding the cake too solid to cut, don't wait for it to soften: Warm your knife by running it under hot water and wiping it dry between cuts.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly coat the bottom and sides of two 8-inch round cake pans.
• Blend cake mix, water, oil, and eggs in a large bowl until moistened. Beat with a mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour into the prepared cake pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 32 to 38 minutes.
• While the cake layers are baking, line a clean 8-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap, allowing the sides to hang over about 6 inches all the way around. Peel down the sides of the ice cream carton and slice off several big pieces; press them into the prepared cake pan. Wrap plastic over the top of the ice cream and continue to form until it's in an even layer. Freeze for 1 hour.
• Remove cakes from the oven and cool for 10 to 15 minutes in the pans. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• Place one cake layer on a freezer-safe plate. Reserve remaining layer for another use (you can freeze it for up to 4 months.)
• Combine chopped cookies and chocolate topping in a medium bowl. Spread cookie "crunchies" evenly on top of the cake layer. Invert frozen ice cream layer on top of cookie layer with the bottom (smooth side) up. Return to the freezer for 1 hour.
• Add cream to bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whisk on medium speed. Gradually mix in powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread icing evenly over cake and freeze for 1 more hour.
• Decorate cake with icing and sprinkles and return to the freezer for at least 30 minutes (or up to 1 week) before serving.