Rocky Road Ice-Cream

This summer I've become consumed with making ice-cream. It's certainly been fun creating new recipes and combinations of flavors but it's definitely forced me to run more. Oh well!

Out of all the ice-cream recipes I've tried this summer...this Rocky Road recipe is by far my favorite. The rich chocolate base combined with crunchy nuts and gooey marshmallows makes this ice-cream a big hit in my household (me... ahem!).

Recipe:

3/4 cup cocoa powder (sifted)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
pinch salt
1 cup whole milk (do NOT try using any other kind of milk)
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 T. pure vanilla extract
chopped nuts (I used walnuts)
mini marshmallows

-In bowl whisk together the cocoa, sugars and salt.
-Add the milk.
-Using a hand mixer (or a whisk) beat on low speed until smooth and sugars completely dissolved.
-Stir in heavy cream and vanilla.
-Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours but preferably overnight.

-Follow directions on your ice cream maker.
-When ice-cream is almost done churning add in the chopped nuts and mini marshmallows.
-Transfer soft ice-cream to freezer-safe container and freeze for about 2 hours before serving.

Dr. Seuss Birthday Cake!

For my son's 1st Birthday I wanted to try something special. He loves Dr. Seuss books and I knew designing a Seuss-themed cake would be fun and easy! Plus, I figured any discrepancies could be excused because lop-sided and asymmetrical cakes scream Dr. Seuss, right? Haha! I was out of state visiting family when we celebrated his birthday so between being crazy busy and being surrounded by chaos I knew I needed a margin of error. Everything ended up turning out fine! 

 And, of course, what 1 year old isn't going to love having cake anyway? Before we even cut the cake he already had blue frosting on his face from taste testing it. :) I'm pretty sure he approved.

Recipes:

THAT Chocolate Cake

and

Marshmallow Fondant

That Chocolate Cake

  

Ok. This is seriously THE BEST chocolate cake I have ever had! I got this recipe in culinary school and I've been obsessed with it ever since. It is super easy (no special methods required) and it always turns out great. You can let the frosting cool and cover the cake in a smooth chocolate layer. Or, you can pour the warm frosting on each layer (as pictured) which is how I prefer to serve it. This cake is sure to impress your dinner guests or lucky neighbors!

Cake:
Granulated sugar- 15 oz
All purpose flour- 9 oz
Cocoa powder- 3.5 oz
Salt- 1 t.
Baking powder- 1 1/2 t.
Baking soda- 1 1/2 t.
Eggs- 4 oz
Canola oil- 3 oz
Milk- 8 oz
Boiling water- 1 cup


-Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spray 2- 9" round pans and line bottoms with parchment paper.

-Combine the sugar, flour, cocoa, salt, baking powder and baking soda in large bowl. Mix in the eggs, oil and milk. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.

-Slowly add boiling water in several increments stirring gently by hand until fully incorporated.

-Bake 30-35 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean.

-Cool for 10 minutes and then de-pan and finish cooling on cooling racks.


Frosting:
Granulated sugar- 10.5 oz
Heavy cream- 1 cup
Unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped- 5 oz
Unsalted butter- 4 oz
Vanilla- 1 t.

-In a saucepan, combine the sugar and cream. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 6 minutes.

-Add the chocolate and butter. Stir until melted. Then add the vanilla.

-Let frosting cool before frosting the cake (unless you're in a major hurry like me in which case you can also pour the warm frosting over the layers as shown in the picture).