lefover chocolate cake + mint ice cream
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A while ago, I made a flock of 2.5″ two-layer chocolate cakes (from this recipe, the best I’ve ever tried), stacked with raspberry jam, coated in chocolate ganache, and topped with pools of jam. They were delicious, they were adorable, they were eaten before I took a picture. I was left with lots of scraps, too good to throw away, which I froze while I plotted my next move.
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I had recently bought David Lebovitz‘s The Perfect Scoop after acing a grammar test (yes, I reward myself with cookbooks, I can also explain the difference between “who” and “whom”) so it seemed only sensible to make his mint ice cream and throw in the scraps of chocolate cake (or what was left after I’d sneaked pieces from the freezer).
I did share a little with a friend for his birthday.
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Fresh Mint Ice Cream with Chocolate Cake Chunks
adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz
1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
2 cups (80 g) lightly packed fresh mint leaves
5 large egg yolks
Warm the milk, sugar, salt and a cup of the heavy cream in a medium saucepan (I waited until little bubbles began to form). Stir in the mint leaves. Cover, remove from heat and steep for an hour.
Pour the mint mixture through a mesh strainer into a medium bowl. Press on the mint leaves to extract as much flavor as possible, then discard the mint leaves and return the mixture to the saucepan. Pour the remaining cup of cream into the (now empty) bowl and place a mesh strainer on top.
Re-warm the mint-infused mixture. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Slowly pour the warm mint liquid into the egg yolks, whisking constantly, then return the mixture to the saucepan.
Stir the mixture constantly over medium heat, until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon (or a spatula, or whatever you’re using to stir). Pour the custard through the strainer and stir it into the cream. Stir until cool over an ice bath.
Chill the mixture thoroughly in the refrigerator, then freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
While ice cream is freezing, cut chocolate cake scraps into small chunks and try not to eat them all. When ice cream is finished, fold the cake into the ice cream.
I like to place a piece of waxed paper over the ice cream before putting it in the freezer to help prevent ice crystals from forming.
note: This ice cream had a very leafy, green quality to it. It was definitely minty, and would probably taste even mintier if you used peppermint leaves (mine were spearmint).
also- there’s an episode of “The French Chef” called “The Hollandaise Family” in which Julia discusses the temperamental nature of egg yolks. It’s delightful, Julia always is (in my head at least), I suggest you watch it. Amir loved it and he doesn’t care about egg yolks half as much as I do.
