A make-ahead dessert that always impresses: a moist chocolate sponge topped with a thick layer of ice cream and finished with whipped cream. Allow about six hours including freezing; it serves 10–12.
Ingredients
- Cake: 125 g plain flour, 150 g sugar, 25 g cocoa powder, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, ½ tsp salt
- 1 egg, 120 ml milk, 80 ml vegetable oil, 120 ml hot coffee or water
- 1.5 litres chocolate or vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
- 300 ml whipping cream with 2 tbsp icing sugar, for the frosting
- Chocolate sauce or shavings to decorate
Method
- Heat the oven to 175 °C and line a 20 cm round tin.
- Whisk the dry ingredients, then add the egg, milk and oil, and finally the hot coffee. Pour into the tin and bake for 28–30 minutes. Cool completely, then freeze for 1 hour.
- Line a second 20 cm tin with cling film, spread in the softened ice cream and freeze until very firm (2–4 hours).
- Place the cake on a board, turn the ice cream disc out on top and peel off the film.
- Whip the cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks, spread over the cake and freeze for another hour.
- Decorate with chocolate sauce or shavings. Slice with a knife dipped in hot water.