With the arrival of the summer season the desire for something sweet can only be satisfied with a nice fresh ice cream. And if you want to prepare a cake without turning on the oven this recipe is definitely the right one for you. Here’s Maria Donati’s, our pastry course teacher at La Cucina Italiana cooking school, amazing strawberry ice cream cake.
This ice cream cake is easy to prepare and doesn’t require the use of an ice cream maker. The recipe ingredients guarantee a perfect balance of flavors and a natural sweetness, without adding sugar, whilst the pink color is easily achieved from the fruit with no artificial coloring. The cake also includes two layers of ladyfingers, but there is no need to soak them, as they will soften when coming in contact with the ice cream.
As an alternative to strawberries, you can also try other types of seasonal fruit, such as apricots or peaches.
The Recipe: Strawberry ice cream cake
To prepare the ice-cream cake, use a cake mold suitable for the freezer or a glass terrine covered with transparent film to make it easier to dish up.
Ingredients:
1 lb Strawberries (11 oz for preparation and 7 oz for decoration)
9 oz Fresh cream
6 oz Condensed milk
4 oz Greek Yogurt
⅛ oz Gelatine sheet (1 sheet)
Ladyfingers q.b.
Method:
First, rehydrate the gelatine sheet in cold water. In the meantime, cut 11 oz strawberries, blend them with a blender or crush them with a fork for a coarser result.
Remove the gelatine from the water and squeeze it. Place it in a bowl, add a few tablespoons of strawberry puree and melt it quickly in the microwave (alternatively, heat the puree in a small saucepan over low heat, then add the gelatine to melt it). Add it back to the rest of the puree together with the Greek yogurt, condensed milk and mix with a whisk.
Whip the cream and incorporate it into the mixture using a spatula with gentle movements, from the center outwards and from the bottom upwards. You can taste the mixture and decide, depending on your taste, whether or not to add sugar or honey to give it extra sweetness.
Pour part of the mixture into the terrine and cover the surface with some ladyfingers, cover with more mixture and complete with the last layer of ladyfingers. Cover with cling film and place in the freezer for about 2-3 hours.
Turn the cake upside down on the serving plate with the help of the cling film, which will allow you to remove it easily. Before eating the cake, let it rest in the fridge for about an hour and decorate it with fresh fruit for additional flavor before serving.