Take 5 Ice Cream Cake

I made this cake for my birthday this year, but there's another birthday worth celebrating - this blog is now five years old! I can't believe it! And I haven't aged a bit. It's been a great five years of trying new recipes and showing you that it's not difficult to cook and bake, and provide delicious and homemade meals and treats for your family, and so worth it. Here's to another five years!

This ice cream cake is celebration-worthy. An oreo crust is topped with caramel and pretzels, then filled with a peanut butter laced ice cream, topped with more peanut butter, then hot fudge. It is spectacular. You should find a reason to celebration - like that today is a day that ends in "y"!

Start by making the crust. Place cookies into a food processor and pulse until they have turned to crumbs. Toss them into a large bowl with the melted butter stir well to combine.

Press into a lightly greased springform pan.

Place in the freezer while you make the fudge sauce and caramel.

For the fudge sauce, combine the powdered sugar, butter, evaporated milk and

chocolate chips

in a saucepan and bring to a boil for 6 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let the fudge sauce cool while you make the caramel.

For the caramel, place sugar and water in a medium saucepan

over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium high and cook without stirring

until the syrup is a medium amber color (about the color of maple syrup). Swirl the pan occasionally to keep cooking even. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the heavy cream - mixture will bubble vigorously.

Return to medium heat and stir a few minutes to dissolve any bits of caramel. Add butter

and salt and stir to blend. Spoon the caramel into the crust

and return to the freezer while you make the ice cream layer.

Place the peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat on 50% power for 30 seconds to soften. Scoop the softened vanilla ice cream into a large bowl and use a sturdy wooden spoon to stir in the peanuts.

Pour in about 2/3 of the peanut butter and gently stir to swirl.

Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle the crushed pretzels over the caramel layer.

Spoon the ice cream on top of the pretzels in the crust then drizzle with remaining peanut butter,

and then the hot fudge sauce.

You'll only use a portion of the fudge sauce - keep the rest for sundaes!

Decorate the top with additional pretzels and peanuts, if you like.

Freeze the cake several hours before serving. When ready to serve, remove the sides and bottom of the springform pan and place on a cake plate or cutting board. Let sit at room temperature about 5 minutes before serving to make it easier to cut.

One year ago: Chocolate Covered Oreo Cake
Two years ago: Asian Honey BBQ Tilapia
Three years ago: Dad's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies
Four years ago: Hearty Wild Rice Soup
Five years ago: Broccoli Salad

Get more great inspiration at Mouthwatering Monday, Inspiration Monday, Mix it Up, Melt in Your Mouth, Recipe Sharing, Totally Talented, Create, Link, Inspire, Tuesday Talent Show, Clever Chicks, Hearth and Soul, Cast Party, What's Cooking, What's Cooking 2.

Take 5 Ice Cream Cake

Crust:
20 chocolate sandwich cookies
3 Tbsp. butter, melted

Caramel sauce:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/3 c. heavy cream
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 tsp. salt

Chocolate Fudge sauce:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup chocolate chips
3/4 cup evaporated milk
4 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Ice cream and assembly:
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream, softened
1/2 cup salted peanuts
1/2 cup salted pretzels, crumbled
1/2 cup peanut butter


For the crust, place cookies into a food processor and pulse until they have turned to crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse several times to combine. Press into a lightly greased 9" or 10" springform pan. Place in the freezer while you make the fudge sauce and caramel.

For the fudge sauce, combine the powdered sugar, chocolate chips, evaporated milk and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Let the fudge sauce cool while you make the caramel.

For the caramel, place sugar and water in a medium saucepan over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Increase the heat to medium high and cook without stirring until the syrup is a medium amber color (about the color of maple syrup). Swirl the pan occasionally to keep cooking even. Remove the pan from the heat and pour in the heavy cream - mixture will bubble vigorously. Return to medium heat and stir a few minutes to dissolve any bits of caramel. Add butter and salt and stir to blend. Spoon the caramel into the crust and return to the freezer while you make the ice cream layer.

Place the peanut butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat on 50% power for 30 seconds to soften. Scoop the softened vanilla ice cream into a large bowl and use a sturdy wooden spoon to stir in the peanuts. Pour in about 2/3 of the peanut butter and gently stir to swirl.

Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle the crushed pretzels over the caramel layer. Spoon the ice cream on top of the pretzels in the crust then drizzle with remaining peanut butter, and then the hot fudge sauce. (You'll only use a portion of the fudge sauce - keep the rest for sundaes!) Decorate the top with additional pretzels and peanuts, if you like.

Freeze the cake several hours before serving. If the cake is going to be in the freezer for longer than a few hours, take it out after 2-3 hours and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. When ready to serve, remove the sides and bottom of the springform pan and place on a cake plate or cutting board. Let sit at room temperature about 5 minutes before serving to make it easier to cut.

Recipe Source: Inspired by I Heart Naptime