Audacious, outrageous ice cream cake

Well. It's December. Summer. Season of barbeques and gatherings, complaining because it's too muggy and not the holidays yet, or complaining that it's not hot enough yet (it's always one way or the other). 

I mentioned in my email last week that it's all about ice cream for me right now - I struggle to let a day go by without at least a small dose. I'm quite enjoying sharing ice creams with the Little Monkey because although he has well and truly mastered most foods, he still always forgets about temperature so every mouthful of frozen goodness comes with an expression of complete shock. He loves it, but it's hilarious to watch. 

This cake is great for sharing, even with little people - the medley of flavours and textures make it more of a complete dessert than ice cream is on its own (I have a special set of criteria for dessert... That's not weird is it?), and it'll definitely please all ages. And even though it's pretty simple it looks flash so is perfect for taking to parties or gatherings. 

And the nature of it means you can substitute ingredients to your heart's content - anything that you think will taste good in ice cream should work. This is my personal holy grail - raspberries for flavour, maltesers for malt-factor and chocolate, marshmallows for chewiness, Turkish delight for more different chewiness, and meringues on top for crunch. But you may have a different formula. You know, I reckon chopped up Snickers bars would work pretty well in place of the Maltesers... 

I should also note that quantities are approximate, so if the odd Malteser or marshmallow accidentally falls into waiting mouths during construction the cake will be fine. I have thoroughly tested this and am confident it will stand up to the stress. ;-) 

Are you in ice cream mode yet? What's your favourite dessert to take to a BBQ or potluck at this time of year? 

Audacious, outrageous ice cream cake

1 litre vanilla ice cream

155g Maltesers

2 cups frozen raspberries + 1 cup for topping

180g marshmallows

200g chocolate covered Turkish delight (I used bars this time but the blocks also work)

2-3 meringues

Scoop the ice cream into a large bowl and allow to soften slightly. Line a 24cm cake tin with baking paper, tin foil or glad wrap. 

Using the side of a knife, partially crush the Maltesers and spread them over the bottom of the cake tin. 

Chop the marshmallows in half. Chop the Turkish delight into small chunks. 

Add the first two cups of raspberries, the marshmallows and most of the Turkish delight into the bowl with the ice cream. Mix until well combined then scoop into the cake tin and gently spread to fit the tin, taking care not to push all the Maltesers to one side. Cover and freeze for at least 6 hours. 

To serve, gently heat the remaining cup of raspberries, mashing with a spoon, until pulpy. Set aside. 

Unmold the cake by running a hot cloth around the perimeter of the tin, and then turning the cake onto a large platter. Gently crumble the meringues over the top, then sprinkle on the remaining Turkish delight, and dollop on spoonfuls of the raspberry puree. Serve immediately.