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Chocolate: Chocolate Chip Banana Ice Cream Cake w/Pecan Rum Caramel Sauce

Source of Recipe

From: The Bride and Groom's Menu Cookbook by Abigail Kirsch


Recipe Introduction

Do-Ahead: Prepare the cakes early in the day and store them, covered, in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

List of Ingredients

8 large eggs, separated
1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 pints chocolate chocolate chip ice cream or your favorite flavor
3 medium bananas, cut into ¼-inch-thick rounds (about 12 slices per banana)
1 recipe Pecan Rum Caramel Sauce*



Recipe

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the egg yolks in the bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until they are thick and a light lemon color, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and add the sugar in a steady stream, 1/4 cup at a time. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat the batter until it is pale yellow and forms ribbons when the whip is lifted from the center of the batter, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer the batter to the large bowl. Rinse out and dry the mixing bowl and the beaters. (They must both be perfectly clean and dry or the egg whites won't beat properly.)

Beat the egg whites with the pinch of salt in the bowl of the electric mixer fitted with the whip attachment until they form soft peaks, 3 to 4 minutes. Gently fold the egg whites into the egg yolk batter alternately with the flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Spoon 3/4 cup of batter into each of the springform pans and bake the cakes for 10 to 12 minutes, until they spring back when touched in the center. Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack.

Remove the ice cream from the freezer and let it soften slightly. While the ice cream is softening, release the sides of the springform pans. Slice each cake into 2 layers with a serrated knife. Remove the top layers, replace the cake bottoms in the pans, and lock the sides of the pans.

Arrange 6 slices of banana on top of the bottom layer of each cake. Spread 1/2 cup of ice cream over the banana and crown each cake with its top layer, placing the flat side up. Cover each cake with plastic wrap and store in the freezer for at least 2 hours before serving.

Pecan Rum Caramel Sauce:

1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 cup broken pecan pieces
1 tablespoons dark rum

Combine the sugar and 6 tablespoons water in the saucepan. Cook the mixture over medium heat until it begins to simmer. Reduce the heat to low and slowly cook the sauce, covered, until the syrup has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in the cream with a wooden spoon. The sauce will become thicker. Cook the sauce, uncovered, over medium-high heat until it has thickened again, about 3 minutes. Stir in the pecans and rum until well blended.


Do-Ahead: The sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead. Cool it and then store, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat the sauce in the top of a double boiler before serving.


YIELD: 10 Servings

Cook's Tip:

Try the warm sauce over puddings, ice cream sundaes, pancakes, or waffles.


Service:

Take the cakes out of the freezer and let them stand at room temperature 20 to 25 minutes before serving. Remove the cakes from the springform pans and invert them onto individual dessert plates. The bottom layer of the cake becomes the top. Spoon 3 heaping tablespoons of hot Pecan Rum Caramel Sauce over each cake.


Cook's Tip:

Any flavor ice cream works well in this cake. For those who are fat conscious, try frozen yogurt. This recipe can also be prepared in a single 8-inch springform pan.