Ice Cream Buttercake

Ice Cream Buttercake... yes, it is as good as it sounds. 

One of my favourite things about this cake is that it looks oh so simple to look at, like any other plain sliced tea cake in the bakery or supermarket, but once you taste it you’ll realise it is so much more! It is super light and dare I saw the moistest cake you’ll have had in a very long time. 

Firstly, the secret and key ingredient is your favourite ice cream! I’ve always thought there was something special about Haagen Daz vanilla ice cream, the flicks of real vanilla pod through the smooth and creamy ice cream, it just tastes a little more decadent than your average pint. 

Secondly, lots of delicious butter!

Thirdly, cake flour! Now this is not essential by any means so go ahead and use your all purpose or self raising flour if you want to but I like that extra fine cake flour for that extra light and fluffy crumb when the cake is the main star of the show like it is here. 

Don’t feel like you need to go running out buying cake flour now and adding to your cupboards and taking more from your wallet. While I highly suggest spending good money on your base flour (King Arthur’s Baking is my number one) I also like to make my own cake flour and if you don’t do it you should start! It’s super simple to do so here is how I do mine. 

DIY Cake Flour

30g all purpose flour -4g 

4g cornstarch 

• For every 30g of flour I use I take out 4g and replace it with 4g of cornstarch. So here I would use 26g of flour and 4g of cornstarch.

• I then sieve the flour and cornstarch together 4 times, from one bowl to another, until fully combined and nice and fine. That’s it, you’re good to go!

You can always eat this cake plain and sliced with a hot cup of tea or coffee, add some fresh cream and jam, heated with a side of ice cream, a chocolate ganache top, whatever you’re feeling on the day. I like a simple icing for mine and for me and this cake that’s as simple as mixing one part of that delicious ice cream with two parts confectioners sugar and letting it glide over my entire cake, pure joy!

Now that I’ve spilled ALL of my secrets for this simple but simply amazing cake I might as well share the actual recipe! I hope you enjoy this cake as much as I do and let me know if you have and questions or suggestions!

Bacáil Sona! 👩🏻‍🍳

Ice Cream Butter Cake Recipe

⏲ PREP TIME: 30 minutes

⏲ BAKING TIME: 55 minutes

⏲ RESTING TIME: 1 hour

🍦🍰 SERVINGS: 18 large/ 36 small slices

EQUIPMENT

• loaf or cake tin

• stand mixer

• weighing scale

• 2 large mixing bowls

• 1 small mixing bowl

• spatula

• mini whisk/fork

Ingredients

ice cream Buttercake

• 191g all purpose flour + 29g cornstarch

• 5g baking powder

• 2g salt

• 250g unsalted butter (room temperature)

• 200g granulated sugar

• 50g light brown sugar

• 4 large eggs (room temperature)

• 10g vanilla extract

• 120ml vanilla ice cream (melted)

Ice cream icing

• 60ml vanilla ice cream (melted)

• 120g confectioners sugar

Instructions

ice cream butter cake

1.
Preheat the oven to 350°F, 180°C. Line your baking tin with baking/parchment paper.

My loaf tin is 11 x 3 so it’s longer than your average one, I’ve been looking for an excuse to use it for ages! You could use a smaller one or a square tin, whatever you prefer!

2.
Weigh and sieve your all purpose flour and cornstarch together. Sieve the mix 2 to 4 times to fully combine.

Add baking powder and salt, mix and set aside.

3.
Beat butter and sugars together in a stand mixer or with a hand mixer until pale, light and fluffy.

4.
Add your eggs, one a time, beating thoroughly each time, about 30-60 seconds. Add vanilla extract and mix through.

Your mixture should be light in colour and thick and creamy in texture, almost like a frosting.

5.
Add your flour mix and melted ice cream a quarter at a time, alternating flour and ice cream, starting with the flour.

Flour, ice-cream, flour, ice-cream, flour, ice-cream, flour, ice-cream.

6.
Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and make sure your mixture is fully combined.
It should be super smooth and feel really light and airy as you mix it.

7.
Scrape your mixture into your tin and level it out with a spatula, smoothing the top with the back of a spoon.

8.

Bake in the oven for 55 minutes or until a tooth pick comes out clean from the middle and the cake is nice and brown and pulling away from the sides. Start checking it at about 45 minutes.

Let your cake cool in the tin. Once it’s at room temperature you can slice her up or add any icing or topping you like. I let mine sit for about an hour.

Ice cream icing

1.

Weigh and sieve your confectioners sugar into a small mixing bowl. Add your melted ice cream and stir with a whisk or fork until fully combined and smooth.

2.
Place cake onto a cooling rack with parchment or tinfoil underneath and spoon or pour your icing over the entire cake.

You can gather any icing that has fallen down onto your parchment back into your bowl and pour it over your cake again.

Alternatively, you can always pour your icing onto your cake while it’s still in the baking tin so it gives a thick even layer solely on the top of the cake. Personal preference!

3.
Let your icing set for a few minutes (5-10 is all you’ll need) and slice that bad boy up as thin or as thick as you like.

Most importantly, enjoy!!