Piped buttercream-frosting blocks transform a chocolate-vanilla ice cream cake into an igloo that sweet marzipan penguins call home. Flakes of dried coconut "snow" and a cake stand trimmed with sugar-dusted paper icicles complete the icy habitat.
Ingredients
- Unsalted butter, for baking sheets
- 1 1/4 cups unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder, plus more, sifted, for baking sheets
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg yolk
- 1 1/4 cups low-fat buttermilk
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Vegetable oil, cooking spray
- 1 quart good-quality chocolate ice cream
- Edy's Grand Ice Cream Chocolate
- $3.99 thru 06/17
- 1 1/2 quarts good-quality vanilla ice cream
- White-Chocolate Buttercream
- 4 large marshmallows, halved
- White, pale-blue, and silver sanding sugar, for decorating
- Marzipan Penguins
- Desiccated unsweetened coconut, for decorating
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 12-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheets. Line bottoms with parchment paper; butter parchment. Dust with cocoa powder, and tap out excess; set aside.
- Sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add eggs and yolk, 1 1/4 cups warm water, the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until smooth.
- Divide batter between prepared sheets. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 16 minutes. Let cool on wire racks 30 minutes. Turn out cakes onto racks, and let cool completely.
- Coat an 8 1/2-inch (9-cup) ovenproof bowl with cooking spray. Line with plastic wrap, leaving a 2-inch overhang. Cut one cake layer crosswise into 4-inch-wide strips, and use to line bowl (there should be no gaps). Cut a 9-inch round from remaining cake layer; set aside.
- One at a time, mix ice creams in the bowl of electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until smooth. Spread 1 cup vanilla ice cream over cake in bowl; spread 1 1/2 cups chocolate ice cream on top. Continue layering ice creams, alternating 1 1/2 cups of each flavor, stopping 1/2 inch from rim. Press cake over ice cream. Wrap in plastic; freeze overnight.
- Turn out cake onto a 9-inch cake board. Freeze 15 minutes. Spread a thin layer of buttercream (about 1/2 cup) over cake, and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Transfer remaining buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a basket-weave tip (such as Ateco #898). With smooth side of tip facing you, and starting at top of cake, pipe 1-inch rectangles all over cake. If cake begins to soften, freeze 15 minutes.
- Using marshmallows, make the outline of the door. Using a smaller basket-weave tip (such as Ateco #895), pipe rectangles over marshmallows. Sprinkle sanding sugar all over cake. Freeze until ready to serve, up to 1 day. Attach marzipan penguins to cake with toothpicks, and garnish with coconut "snow."
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