Brown Sugar Espresso Ice Cream Cake

You don't need an espresso machine or an ice cream maker to make this Brown Sugar Espresso Ice Cream Cake. The key is this Hoosier Hill Farms Espresso Powder because it dissolves perfectly into the whipped cream for the perfect espresso flavor!

Prep Time1

Cook Time25

Chilling12

Total Time13 25

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: espresso, ice cream, ice cream cake, Vanilla Cake

Servings:

Calories: 664kcal

Equipment

9" round metal pan minimum 3" tall

Ingredients

Vanilla Cake

2 eggs standard, large
175 grams granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
100 grams full fat greek yogurt or sour cream
90 grams oil neutral
50 grams whole milk or 2% milk
150 grams all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Brown Sugar Espresso Ice Cream

675 milliliters heavy cream cold
4 tablespoons espresso powder
80 grams dark brown sugar plus 1 tablespoon
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
600 grams sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons flaky sea salt

Toppings

250 grams heavy cream cold
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
50 grams brown sugar dark or light
15 grams cocoa powder for dusting

Instructions

Vanilla Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, salt, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
Pour in the oil and whisk again.
Lastly, pour in the flour, baking soda and baking powder.
Whisk once more until combined and smooth.
Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
Spray the cake pan with your baking spray and then pour in the vanilla batter.
Smooth out the cake with a rubber spatula.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until fully baked and a toothpick comes out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven and place on a rack to cool for 5-10 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the cake from the edges of the pan if needed.
Lay a sheet of parchment on top of the cake followed by a cooling rack upside down. Holding on to the baking sheet, parchment, and cooling rack, flip the stack over so the cake can release and fall out of the baking sheet.
Leave to cool completely.

Espresso Ice Cream Filling

In a large mixing bowl, add in the 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 4 tablespoons of espresso powder, heavy cream, salt, and vanilla. Whip on high with an electric whisk until medium stiff peaks form.
Add in the sweetened condensed milk and fold to combine.
Place in the fridge until ready to assemble.

Assemble

Line a round 9" pan with plastic wrap so that it is completely sealed.
Cut the cooled vanilla cake into two even layers.
Place the bottom layer of the cake into the lined pan. Pour half of the ice cream mixture into the pan. Sprinkle half of the remaining brown sugar from the ice cream and one teaspoon of the flaked salt over the ice cream. Use a spoon to swirl it into the ice cream.
Repeat with the second half of the ice cream and the brown sugar and the remaining sea salt. Swirl again and then lay the top layer of cake over the swirled ice cream.
Lay a piece of plastic wrap on top of the cake and place it in the freezer overnight until frozen solid.

Finishing Touches

Just before serving, make the brown sugar whipped cream for the top of the cake.
Pour the cold cream into a large mixing bowl with the brown sugar, salt, and vanilla. Whip until medium soft peaks form.
Take the frozen cake out of the freezer. Tip it out of the pan and peel away the plastic wrap.
Place it on the stand or dish that you plan to cut it/serve it from.
Dollop the whipped cream onto the cake and spread it out to the edges of the cake and dust with a thin layer of cocoa powder.
Use a sharp knife to cut the cake, cleaning the blade in between each slice.
Wrap any leftovers with plastic to prevent freezer burn and place back in the freezer.

Notes

Tips for making a Brown Sugar Espresso Ice Cream Cake

Give yourself enough time with this cake. If you really want to spread it out, bake the cake one day, assemble it the next day, and serve it on the third day. That being said you can also bake the cake and assemble it on the same day just make sure the cake is completely cooled before assembling.
Be sure to line the pan you plan to assemble the cake in completely to make sure it comes out cleanly and easily once frozen.
The cream needs to be COLD when you whip it to ensure it whips up and enough air is incorporated.
The measurements in the recipe unfortunately leave you with half a can of sweetened condensed milk and half a bottle of heavy cream. That being said you can use it all up and you will just have a bit of extra ice cream that you can freeze in a separate container.
I prefer the cake with a soft whipped cream on top but you can whip it into stiff peaks and pipe it on in a design if you prefer!

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