The weather has turned really hot here, and I had a craving for ice cream. But to make it more fun, not just plain ice cream — an ice cream cake! I think this is simply a fantastic summer option: it's a treat that'll delight your family and impress guests, because it looks absolutely gorgeous. There's a little market near my house where sweet cherries are already in full swing, so today's ice cream cake features them as the star, and I also added blueberries to the berry layer for a richer, more intense berry flavor. Of course, you can make this cake with any berries you like — it'll be delicious either way! For the ice cream base I used heavy cream and condensed milk — I've already used this combination in my Coffee Ice Cream. It's a super simple approach: no need to make an anglaise, use egg yolks, or anything like that, and the flavor is absolutely top-notch!
Ingredients:
- For the ice cream:
- 500 g heavy cream 33%
- 250 g condensed milk (or more)
- 250 g berries (I used half blueberries and half sweet cherries) + 1 tbsp. sugar
- Berry sauce:
- 250 g berries (I used sweet cherries)
- 1-2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. starch (potato starch preferred)
- 5 g gelatin
How to cook berry ice cream cake
Place the blueberries and sweet cherries (pitted) in a small saucepan and add sugar. If your berries are tart, use more sugar. Bring to a boil — the berries will release their juice, so no extra water is needed. Simmer over low heat for a couple of minutes. Blend with an immersion blender until smooth and let cool completely. I didn't strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve, but if you're using berries with seeds, you'll want to do that (for example, if using raspberries or blackberries).
While continuing to whip, pour in the condensed milk. Adjust the amount of condensed milk to taste. Give the whipped mixture a taste — it should be noticeably sweeter than you'd like, because once frozen, the sweetness won't come through as strongly.
Divide the mixture into two portions, one slightly larger than the other. Leave the larger portion as is.
Place both containers in the freezer for about 1–2 hours, until the mixtures become thicker. During this time, stir each mixture 1–2 times.
Prepare your pan — I used a ring mold set to 17 cm. You can also use the base of a springform pan, or a silicone mold works great too (just assemble the cake upside down in that case). Spread the berry layer in the pan and smooth it out. Place in the freezer until the surface is just set.
Make the berry sauce. Place the pitted sweet cherries (or other berries) in a small saucepan, add sugar to taste, and bring to a boil (no water needed). Simmer for one minute. Mix the starch with one tablespoon of water, then pour it in while stirring; cook until slightly thickened, then remove from heat. Bloom the gelatin in 2–3 tbsp. of water for the time indicated on the package. Add the bloomed gelatin to the hot sauce and stir well until the gelatin is fully dissolved.
Warm the sides of the pan with a hair dryer or run a knife between the cake and the ring, then remove the ring.
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