I adore birthday celebrations — the streamers, the gift-giving, the cake are some of my absolutely favorite things – so I wish we could get together once a month and celebrate all our friend’s big days, just like in grade school. This month’s celebration would be for some of my nearest and dearest such as my partner-in-crime from college, my former roommate, my cousin, a few friends, and my man. Seeing as my man would subsist on a diet of malasadas, Have-A-Chips, bacon, and ice cream, were it possible, I figured a sweet, salty, crunchy, peanut butter-y ice cream cake was in order.
A twist on a tin roof sundae, I layered peanut butter ice cream with a bittersweet ganache, my all time favorite chocolate wafer cookies (got to have something for me too, you know), clouds of whipped cream, a dusting of cocoa, and a few handfuls of honey-roasted peanuts and chocolate shavings. This Tin Roof Ice Cream Cake recipe was such a hit that almost a quarter of the cake was gone by the time I went to take this photo!
Now, go stock up on all your cooking essentials, then head into the kitchen, make this, and share it with us by tagging @saltandwind and #swsociety on social!
Tin Roof Ice Cream Cake Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
For The Cookie Crust:
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
- 8 ounces chocolate wafer cookies (such as Nabisco Famous Wafers)
For The Ganache:
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate finely chopped plus more for garnish
- 2 cups chilled heavy cream divided
For The Ice Cream Cake:
- 2 quarts (4 pints) Ice cream (use peanut butter, chocolate, vanilla, coffee, or a combination of them)
- Unsweetened cocoa powder for garnish
- Roasted salted peanuts for garnish
Instructions
- Make The Cookie Crust: Using a pastry brush, coat the inside of a 9-inch springform pan with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Cut parchment or waxed paper into a circle the same size as the base of the pan and place it in the base.
- Place cookies in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until ground; add remaining 6 tablespoons melted butter and pulse until mixture is moistened. Press mixture evenly and firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan and freeze until it’s good and set, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, take the ice cream out of the freezer to soften and make the ganache.
- Make The Chocolate Ganache: Place chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl; set aside. Place 1 cup of the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Pour cream over chocolate and let stand until chocolate has melted, about 5 minutes.
- Stir gently until smooth then stir in remaining butter, one piece at a time, until completely incorporated; let cool slightly before using. Meanwhile, let the ice cream soften, for another about 15 minutes, or until soft enough to spread like room temperature butter but not melted.
- Assemble The Ice Cream Cake: When ice cream is softened, transfer to a mixing bowl. Using a spatula mix until spreadable. Spread half of the ice cream over the cookie crust and smooth the top. Pour half of the ganache over the top and smooth and place in the freezer until firm, at least 30 minutes. Place the remaining ice cream back in the freezer as well.
- Remove peanut butter ice cream from the freezer and let soften about 15 minutes. Mix again until spreadable. Spread peanut butter ice cream over the fudge, level the top of the cake, add remaining ganache (you may want to reheat this slightly until it’s just pourable), smooth it, and freeze until the whole cake is very firm, at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
- To serve: Remove cake from the freezer and let sit at a few minutes at room temperature before cutting. Meanwhile, place remaining 1 cup of whipped cream in a clean, large bowl and whip with a whisk until soft peaks form. Top cake with whipped cream, cocoa, peanuts, chocolate shavings, and serve.