Grandma's Black Forest Cake Ice Cream

When I was little, my grandmother used to make a lot of things: soft sculpture murals, cookies shaped like Santa, an Easter ham carved into the shape of a bunny...this is only a small listing of her accomplishments. She was quite a talented woman, my late grandmother, and my parents suggest this is where I get my artistic talent.

What does Grandma Schlegel have to do with this ice cream blog? The inspiration I found from her Black Forest Cake: chocolate cake with canned cherries and whipped cream.

When I got a sample of Amy's Organic Cake in the mail, I thought of a perfect way to use the cake...Black Forest Ice Cream. I have always been a fan of Bruce Weinstein's Chocolate Cherry Ice Cream recipe, so I churned up a batch of this and added crumbled Amy's Organic Chocolate Cake to the mix in the last five minutes of churning. I probably used about a cup of crumbs, which left me with a good amount of cake just to eat on my own, so I really could have my cake and eat it too!

While Amy's Cake was moist and delicious on it's own (see Tina's post from last week) it also blended in wonderfully with the ice cream and saved me from making a chocolate cake.

While I would make this ice cream again in an instant -- it was one of my favorites from I Scream 2009 -- I would also serve this cake on it's own. Both it's presentation and taste, texture, and moistness put it on my "emergency guests" list of foods -- that's assuming 1. I don't eat it first and 2. I remember to take it out of the freezer in time!

So Oooey and Gooey...so Good!

How can anyone pass up an ice cream dessert that has the words "truffle" and "Gooey" and "Brownie" in its name. Oh and did I forget "chocolate" and "fudge"!

Seriously what doesn't this sweet little treat have in it. When this was sent to me I opened the box and a light shined upon two boxes of Culinary Circle's Chocolate Truffle Gooey Fudge Brownie Ice Cream Dessert. So what to do but immediately tear one open and break out my spoon. The picture on the box made this look way to good to save for later.

I must say this was quite good. The ice cream which was layers of two different chocolates was super creamy and it was topped with lots of chewy truffle brownie bits that sat amongst a pool of gooey fudge. My problem was that I couldn't stop eating it and seriously finished it myself. Hard to tell the size here and when you open it it surely looks like one person could easily handle this but really its for two and I had a big ol' belly ache after devouring it all on my own (but I was eating for two at the time so its okay right?!).

One tip I would have is to let it sit and thaw slightly for a few minutes to allow for the fudge topping to become a smoother consistency. Regardless its good but this allows for it to flow better and not be so thick. I do have to say if you put this on a fancy plate and drizzled some fudge swirls on the plate you'd think you were in a fancy restaurant. And actually that is what the brand is trying to achieve...."With chef inspired cuisine that mirrors today’s most popular restaurants, Culinary Circle is transforming creative casual dining at home." I'd definitely serve this to my guests and actually did. They had the same reaction...super good, rich, and sweet. This is definitely a chocolate lover's dream!

This was sent to me and I had never seen the brand before so not sure exactly where to lead you to get it but the site does have a store locator. Unfortunately it gave me addresses but no store names but there are store logos on the site that may be near you. Looks like they sell many other yummy looking prepared foods for the busy cook that could be worth checking out. If the quality and taste are as good as this sweet treat I might have to try them myself.

Wonder why you can't stop eating ice cream...for days?

Seriously, I knew I was not to blame when I started eating a pint of ice cream and couldn't stop until my spoon scraped the bottom. How could I eat the whole thing? Must have been an imaginary spoon that helped me along of course! Thankfully new research has come out that says fat from certain foods sends off signals to the brain to keep eating so my spoon kept digging! Oh and they say this effect can last for three days so that ice cream binge is SO not your fault!

Check out the full story on science blog. 

Very interesting!

 

Organic ice cream and cake...a natural combination

Cake and ice cream...the perfect duo and on a warm end of summer day even better. Oh and even better that Bethany was along to try it too!

Now who would have thought a premade frozen cake would even be worth opening but let me tell you that Amy's Organic Orange Cake was so surprisingly moist and yummy. It had a great orange flavor that was not too overwhelming but perfectly refreshing and light. I am a baker (well, was pre-two kids!) and freshly baked cake is a must but my mind has been changed by this little vegan cake. Yes it comes in a box but when you open it, the cake is nestled in a sweet little cardboard cake liner that looks like it just came out of the bakery or your own oven. I give Amy's kudos for stepping up on the packaging...it goes a long way especially when you are trying to disguise it as your own!

Well I guess I have to move on cause this is an ice 

cream blog right?! So the topper of it all was Green & Black's Organic Chocolate Ice Cream. I had no clue who Green & Black was but come to find out they are amongst the elite of award-winning chocolate makers. Made from bittersweet dark chocolate and fresh organic cream its no wonder this ice cream was so smooth and rich. (But i do have to admit that both Bethany and I thought it seemed icy at first but it was just the top layer...think this one was in the freezer for a bit). With that said not sure I put it above my favorite Ben & Jerry's Chocolate but it is really good and has the organic factor working for it. 

All in all...love the combination of orange and chocolate and also love the fact that they are both all natural. Both Amy's and Green & Black's obviously are natural winners here. Next time I think I might have to try making my own ice cream with Green & Black chocolate. If anything its a good excuse to try the chocolate!

Spice Dish Saturday {September}: Cream Green Apple Ice Cream

Spice Dish escaped to Europe this summer, and lucky us, we get a perfect fall treat as a result! Bon Appetit!

This flavor was inspired by my recent trip to Paris. One morning for breakfast, I happened across some apple flavored yogurt. Simple, but completely divine. Unlike anything I’ve ever tasted in the US. Maybe it’s because French dairy products, are well, actually made of dairy. Not a collection of chemicals and preservatives. Whatever the reason, I was in love. I couldn’t stop thinking about that yogurt and decided I hate to recreate it at home. This is rich, creamy, speckled with vanilla and perfumed with a hint of tart, green apple. Enjoy!

Creamy Green Apple Ice Cream

1 lb tart green apples
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
¾ cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise)

With a cheese grater, shred apples (including the peel) into a medium saucepan. Stir in lemon juice. Pour 1 cup of the cream into the pan. Add sugar & salt. Stir. Scrape the seeds out of the vanilla bean and add to the mixture. Then drop the bean in. Warm the mixture until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add rest of cream and milk. Let steep, covered, for one hour. Strain into large bowl and chill completely. Churn in your mixer. For a caramel apple effect, top with a creamy caramel sauce.

Thanks, EB!