Can you believe it’s August already? It feels more like the beginning of spring where my garden was still a tiny patch of soil, and farmer’s markets were just beginning to fill their stands with plenty of beautiful fresh produce, just waiting to be transformed into a delicious meal. As the weeks have gone by, I’ve felt more creative, and inspired in the kitchen, especially when it came to ice cream.

From fruit, to s’mores, to herbs, I just couldn’t get enough of my favorite treat. I love everything about ice cream, mostly the delicate process of heating the cream and milk, making sure to take the extra care as to not curdle the eggs, so that the end result is a rich and creamy frozen dessert infused, with flavors like no other. Ice cream makes me feel mellow, like myself, and is really one of my favorite things to do, but mostly because I like creating flavors my friends and family would really enjoy.

With the end of National Ice Cream Month, Parents’ Day this past weekend and my knee surgery last week, I knew I needed to create a special ice cream cake for the loved ones who would be taking care of me, considering I wouldn’t be able to be on my feet long enough to make a fresh new batch in the next few weeks.

It’s quite easy to please most people, but the one person who just isn’t all into sweets is my boyfriend. He’s more of a classic vanilla and rainbow sprinkles kind of guy, nothing wrong with that, but it’s no salted caramel, unless if you give him tiramisu. It’s his favorite, and I finally made a dessert he liked with these cupcakes, better than that, one he asks for constantly.

Since, I say I love you with food, I asked him what the best part of his favorite dessert was, in which he replied the “taste of cocoa.” Ironic, because he doesn’t like chocolate, so instead of creating an ice cream cake focused on the flavors of coffee, I layered vanilla atop Italian breakfast biscuits, which had a slight anise flavor and crumbly texture, instead of airy lady fingers. This coffee syrup made all the difference in my tiramisu cupcakes, so I let them biscuits soak in that rich flavor just until before they began to crumble apart.

Frozen homemade whipped cream tops off the best layer, a decadent and velvety smooth espresso ice cream. The key to making this ice cream taste exceptional is using high quality coffee. I’ve had coffee on my mind quite a bit lately, considering I’ve been envisioning my own home coffee bar, so when I tasted this freshly churned ice cream I was instantly reminded of sipping a galão at an outdoor cafe in Portugal on early brisk summer morning. A galão is a traditional Portuguese drink, similar to a café latte, made with one part espresso and three parts foamed milk. And this ice cream tasted exactly like it. Each layer was generously dusted with unsweetened cocoa powder, adding the perfect deep bitterness to the different textural layers of sweetness.

Of course being partial to ice cream, I’ll say this cake tastes better than the traditional Italian dessert, and slightly better than these cupcakes, regardless it’s an ice cream and cake you need to make.

Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients

Vanilla Ice Cream {recipe here}

Espresso Ice Cream {see below}

8 {or however many cookies needed to create two full layers} – Italian Cookies {a Breakfast biscuit or Lady Fingers}

Coffee-Wine Syrup {recipe here}

1/2 cup – Heavy Cream

About 1 tablespoon – Granulated Sugar

Unsweetened Organic Cocoa Powder for dusting

Recipe

Line a 1 pound loaf pan with parchment, then plastic wrap, leaving an overhang on all sides. Make sure to smooth out the plastic as best as possible, and place in freezer. Whisk the heavy cream and sugar, until soft-firm peaks. Remove pan from freezer, spread whipped cream on bottom, and dust with a generous layer of cocoa powder. Place pan in freezer until firm {about 1 hour}.

Remove vanilla ice cream from freezer, and allow to soften until a consistency that is spreadable. Soak 4 cookies in the coffee-wine syrup. Remove pan from freezer, and spread an even layer of the vanilla atop the whipped cream, and dust with a generous layer of cocoa powder. Layer the coffee soaked cookies evenly atop the vanilla ice cream. Transfer to freezer until firm {about 2 hours}.

Remove the espresso ice cream from the freezer and allow to soften the same way. Spread an even layer atop the soaked cookies, then dust with a generous layer of cocoa powder. Soak the remaining cookies in the coffee-wine syrup, and layer atop espresso ice cream layer. Cover top with plastic, and return to freezer until firm {about 2 hours}. When ready to unmold, wrap pan with a damp hot towel around the pan. Remove plastic from top and invert cake onto serving platter, gently loosening sides and removing pan. Smooth edges with spatula, or trim edges for a neater appearance. The whipped cream should be the top layer. Dust with a generous layer of cocoa powder, and freeze until ready to serve.

Espresso Ice Cream

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups – Heavy Cream

3/4 cup – 2% Milk

1/2 cup – Granulated Sugar

1/4 cup – Finely Ground Espresso {you can use ground coffee too}

1/4 teaspoon – Salt

5 large – Egg Yolks

1/4 cup – Espresso {chilled}

Recipe

To infuse the milk/cream, stir the cream, milk, half of the sugar {1/4 cup}, ground espresso and salt in a heavy saucepan, and heat over medium-high heat. When the cream mixture begins to bubble around the edge, remove from heat and let it steep until a distinct coffee flavor develops {about 20 minutes, taste every so often}.

Make the base by, whisking the yolks, just to break them up in a medium heat-proof bowl. Add in the remaining sugar and whisk until smooth, set aside. Uncover the pan, heat over medium-high heat, then reduce to medium heat once the mixture hits a slight simmer. Slowly ladle about 1/2 cup of the hot mixture into the yolk mixture, while whisking. Add one more ladle of the hot mixture to the yolks, making sure to whisk quickly to not curdle the eggs. With a heat-proof spatula, stir the cream mixture as you slowly add in the egg-cream mixture back into the saucepan.

Cook the ice cream base over medium heat, stirring constantly until it has thickened, coating the back of a wooden spoon, holding a clear path when you run your finger {about 2 to 3 minutes}. Strain the base through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean container, over an ice-water bath. Using a clean spatula, stir the base frequently until its has cooled, then remove it from the ice-water bath. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.

Freeze the ice cream, by stirring in the chilled espresso to the base, stirring until combined. Freeze the base in your ice cream machine following your manufacturer’s directions. While the ice cream churns, put the container that you’ll keep your ice cream in the freezer. The ice cream is ready once it reaches the consistency of soft-serve, or the paddle creates a distinctive path as it churns. Enjoy right away, or place in your container, and freeze until later.