Bake It Easy 'Ice Cream Sandwich'
While this cake may sound like it’s tailor-made to be devoured at a frenzied pace at a kids’ party, leaving behind a trail of destruction, faces covered in ice cream and chocolate, and tablecloths strewn with the battle scars of sugar highs past, it’s very much the opposite
Cool, calm and composed, it allows the adults to indulge in the flavours of those heady parties on their own terms, with a clean-cut slice of sophisticated decadence. We’re talking ice-cream sponge triangle sandwiches for grown-ups. OK, maybe kids too, if they behave. The beauty of this cake is that it can be prepared long before the big party. Why not slice it into portions and wrap them in fancy parchment, ready to serve straight from the freezer?
Preheat the oven to 160°C fan/320°F/Gas 4 and line your 20cm (8in) square tin with parchment paper, leaving some overhang for easy removal (see page 11).
To make the sponge, cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer or a large mixing bowl using a wooden spoon, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and keep mixing until smooth, then mix in the vanilla paste and yogurt.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Gradually and gently add these dry ingredients into the wet mixture and mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
Pour the batter into the tin and spread it evenly, then bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
Once baked, remove the sponge from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack.
Once the sponge has cooled, carefully lift it out of the tin using the parchment paper and place it on a chopping board. Using a sharp knife, slice the sponge in half horizontally to create two thin, square layers. Place both layers in the freezer for an hour or two to firm up. If you are stacking them on top of each other, place some parchment paper between the layers to stop them freezing together.
Remove both layers of sponge from the freezer, and get out your ice cream. First, spread the jam on the cut side of the bottom layer, then when the ice cream has softened slightly, spread it over the cut side of the top layer, using the back of a spoon or spatula to get right to the edges. Flip the bottom sponge layer onto the top, so the jam is sitting on top of the ice cream, then press down gently until the filling is just starting to ooze out. Cover and place in the freezer for around 1 hour until firm, then remove and trim the edges with a sharp knife. Slice into crisp-looking triangle sandwiches and dust with a generous amount of icing sugar.
Let the nostalgic summer feels hit you.
