Nanaimo Bar Ice Cream Cake

Today is my husband's birthday!  Happy Birthday!!  Today's recipe is one of his favourites...you may have read it when I guest posted over at DJ's Sugar Shack...and today I am posting it here in honour of my wonderful hubby! 

This is a recipe that I printed in 2005, and have been saving until the right time to make.  I have a huge sweet tooth...my husband not so much.  But we both share a love for ice cream.  I also love Nanaimo Bars, so this recipe seemed like it could be the perfect mix of things that we both like.

At first my hubby wasn't so sure about the Nanaimo Bar part of it...too much chocolate, he thought.  Well...you'll have to read our verdict below to see what we thought! 

Here is the recipe: (Source -The Canadian Living Test Kitchen)

Nanaimo Bar Ice-Cream Cake

1/4 cup butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (I used Oreo)
1/2 cup sweetened coconut, shredded
1/3 cup hazelnuts (filberts), finely crushed/chopped
4 cups vanilla ice cream (I used Breyers Natural Vanilla)
1/2 cup whipping cream
3 oz (3 squares) semisweet chocolate, chopped (I used Baker’s)

Preheat oven to 350F. Ensure rack is in the centre.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in sugar. Then add in the egg yolk, cookie crumbs, coconut and 1/4 cup of the hazelnuts. Mix well. I used one of my trusty spatulas…one of my two kitchen items that I can’t live without…the other is my KitchenAid Stand Mixer!

Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with foil, leaving a 1 inch on each side for handles. Grease the foil. Scoop the crumb mixture from the saucepan into the loaf pan and press the mixture evenly into the pan.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes or until firm. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack (leave in the pan).

While the crumb mixture is baking, soften the ice cream in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Pack firmly over the cooled crust. Freeze for 4 hours or until solid.

In a small saucepan, bring whipping cream to boil over medium. Remove from heat. Add in the chocolate, whisk until smooth. Allow to stand for 30 minutes or until cool and has started to thicken.

Pour chocolate sauce over ice cream layer, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Freeze for 1 hour or until the chocolate is firm.

To serve, let the frozen cake sit in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Dip pan into warm water briefly. Using foil handles, remove the cake from the pan. Dip a sharp knife into hot water, slice the cake, and serve.

VERDICT:
This was a very yummy treat! It was such a nice blend of ice cream, cookie crust, hazelnuts and coconut. We all thoroughly enjoyed it. My husband even had seconds. And he hasn't stopped talking about it ever since I made it.  When I was writing my article for Okanagan4Kids for this month, I had asked my hubby, my Dad and my Father-in-Law for their favourite recipes.  This was my hubby's first choice!  His second was my Sweet & Spicy Baby Back Ribs. 

Oh yes, back to the verdict.  This wasn't too hard to make – and is for sure one that will be made again!  We might try adding a little coffee flavouring to the ice cream next time, for an extra little twist.

My only recommendation would be to make the cake the day before and allow it to freeze overnight and serve the next day. Just to make sure that the ice cream and the chocolate topping have hardened. Enjoy!