Creamy Dreamy Ganache-Draped Cheesecake Ice Cream Cake
Status: Homemade!
Satisfaction: Wait and see (I'll post the updates as soon as this baby gets cut open on Sunday!)
I'm not always a terribly consistent decorator--or at least, my creations start out looking freakily Frankensteinian when they first start off. Take this cheesecake-ice cream cake combo, for instance: If I had taken pictures of the amounts of melted ice cream and dripping ganache I had to wade through before I even got the final (and considerably ridged) ganache dam wall on to hold in the ice cream, you all would be drowning, too. In pictures, I mean. And those aren't nearly as fun as drowning in ice cream and/or chocolate. Maybe part of it has to do with the fact that I never learn from my mistakes because a) I'm theory smart--application isn't a requirement for graduate students, and b) I never really like making the same thing twice if I can help it. Experiments are just more fun.
Speaking of experiments and dissection--okay, yes, it's a stretch analogy, but here's the breakdown of this gorgeous (inside is what counts!) cake:
Start with an OREO Cookie Crumb Crust
Top that with Creamy Dreamy Cheesecake
Adorn that with an generous layer of Your Favorite Ice Cream
And then drape the whole damn thing in Luscious Chocolate Ganache
Decorate the heck out of it. And do a better job than I did.
There you have it, ladies and gentlemen. I haven't tried it yet, but from the various, er, taste-tests I did on the component parts of it, I'm declaring this one mind--and taste buds--blown.
Check out the recipe below!
CREAMY DREAMY GANACHE-DRAPED CHEESECAKE ICE CREAM CAKE
Rather sporadically adapted from Willow Baking
Yield: 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan
Crust
Ingredients:
37 chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed to fine crumbs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Pinch of salt
Note: I would really recommend following Willow Baking's advice on this score. As it turns out, I only had 21 cookies on hand and ended up making a base crust only, but that led to a bunch of disastrous patching-up and leaking attempts that you'll definitely want to avoid. Consequently, you can cut the amount of ingredients by a bit if you'd like to use an 8-inch springform pan, as I did.
Directions:
1. Grease an 8-inch or 9-inch springform pan.
2. Combine crushed cookies, butter, and salt until crumbs are completely moistened. Press into springform pan and up the sides of the pan, reaching the top rim if you can make your crust stretch that far.
Ganache:
Ingredients:
3/4 cups heavy cream
10 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
Directions:
1. Bring the heavy cream to a light simmer in a pot or pan. Place chocolate in a medium bowl and pour heated cream over it. Stir rapidly until chocolate and cream forms a smooth ganache. Pour ganache over crust until well coated and reserve remaining ganache for decorating. (In fact, you'll probably need to make more more to cover the cake, but I played it by ear and only made as much additional as was necessary to cover the cake.
2. Freeze crush for 30 minutes, or until ganache has hardened.
Cheesecake:
Ingredients:
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1½ teaspoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
3 large eggs, room temperature
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat cream cheese and sugar together until well blended. Beat in flour.
2. In a separate bowl, combine the coffee, vanilla, and molasses. Stir until coffee granules dissolve; you may also consider heating the mixture very slightly to help the granules dissolve. Add to cream cheese mixture and beat until well incorporated. Add eggs one at a time and beat in thoroughly.
3. Pour filling over ganache-filled crust. Wrap bottom of springform pan tightly in foil and place it inside a larger baking dish. Fill baking dish halfway with hot water--be careful not to get any hot water or moisture onto your cheesecake. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until cheesecake top is puffed and slightly brown, or it jiggles very slightly when shaken lightly. Run a hot knife around the edges to loosen the cheesecake if necessary, then transfer cheesecake to a wire rack. Allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4. Transfer to refrigerator and allow to cool for at least a few hours, or until chilled and completely set. I tossed mine in the freezer for good measure before doing the ice cream layer.
Ice Cream:
Select your absolute favorite ice cream and soften it slightly until you can spread it (10 seconds in the microwave will do it, but the best way is to let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes--you can control the softness levels of it better this way). Spread a few scoops gently on top of your chilled cheesecake; smooth out edges and sides. Freeze cake until solid.
Decorate as desired! I made extra ganache and poured it over the whole thing, but you can play around with it and blow some minds with the combination when you serve it at your next potluck.
Simple and scrumdiddly!
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