Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake
Do you guys listen to music when you cook and bake? I find that my happy state in the kitchen includes music playing in the background. More than just soothing me or bringing me to a state of calm, music often inspires what I’ll actually be cooking and baking, like it’s done here with this neapolitan ice cream cake.
It completely sets the mood for me. Sometimes, before I’ve even hooked up my iPod to my speakers, I’ll find myself humming some tune or another. Those are the times I know exactly what I’m in the mood to cook or bake. My sister says that my humming is a habit that I’ve had since I was a child. She says she’d often find me playing in some corner of the house, only by following the sound of my voice humming. More often than not, the music I hum or listen to is a mix of classical or jazz. I grew up listening to my sister play classical pieces on the piano, in addition to listening to it at home with my parents, who are big fans. As a young girl, this inspired me to start playing piano as well, and encouraged a love for Chopin, Bach, and Pavarotti, to name a few.
I was planning a girls’ night for this past weekend, and I was thinking of dessert ideas when I turned on one of my favorite pandora playlists to find the song Ave Maria playing. I was instantly transported to my childhood. I remember there would be lazy summer afternoons where my parents would put on their favorite classical soundtrack as they lounged in the backyard. I’d be sitting at the outdoor dining table, painting portraits with my watercolor set (my favorite thing to do as a child) with a bowl of neapolitan ice cream next to me. One of the soundtracks they’d often play had this song Ave Maria on it, and I remember it striking a chord with me. The angelic voice singing made me feel like all was right in the world. Nothing felt more symbolic of the happiness I felt painting my pictures as I savored each lick of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, with my parents nearby, than the song of Ave Maria. And so I was inspired to make this neapolitan ice cream cake.
Neapolitan ice cream cake is whimsical, sweet, and lighthearted. You’ll feel like you’re floating on clouds with the tune of Ave Maria after one bite of this cake. You can taste the tender crumb of the chocolate cake layer against the cool and creamy strawberry and vanilla ice cream. The chocolate’s slight bitter quality pairs sensationally with the sweet and alluring flavors of strawberry and vanilla. The whipped cream frosting on the outside is firm enough to masquerade as ice cream, but one bite proves that it’s pure cream, lusciously melting on your warm tongue within the second. I couldn’t think of a better dessert than this neapolitan ice cream cake to end a beautiful and relaxing summer season with.
Neapolitan Ice Cream Cake
chocolate cake recipe adapted from Ina Garten
Ingredients
- 1 c all-purpose flour
- 1 c 3 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 c baking cocoa
- 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2/3 c buttermilk
- 1/3 c vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, not extra large
- 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
- 2/3 c freshly brewed coffee
- 1.5 qt vanilla ice cream
- 1.5 qt strawberry ice cream
for the whipped cream frosting
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1/4 c powdered sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch cake pan that’s at least 2 inches high. Remove the two cartons of ice cream from the freezer and allow to soften at room temperature.
- First you’re going to create your chocolate cake layer. Beat the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer (or just a large bowl).
- In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Add these wet ingredients to the dry ingredients; mix to combine. Pour the coffee into the batter and beat until batter is smooth. Stop to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl before giving one final mix.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for approximately 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Meanwhile, line two 9-inch cake pans with plastic wrap. To keep the plastic wrap from moving around, you can tape the plastic to the outside of the pan. Pour the softened vanilla ice cream into one plastic wrap-lined pan, and then the softened strawberry ice cream into the second plastic wrap-lined pan. Spread and smooth out each until they’re even layers in their pans. Cover each with a sheet of plastic wrap and freeze until firm (about 2 hours).
- Once your chocolate cake is done baking, allow the cake to cool in its pan before flipping it out onto a freezer-safe serving dish. Let it cool completely on this dish. Once the ice cream layers are firm again, remove the plastic wrap that was covering each ice cream layer’s surface. Flip the strawberry layer on top of the chocolate cake layer. Then flip the vanilla layer on top of the chocolate layer. Cover the entire cake with a large piece of plastic wrap and freeze while you create your whipped cream frosting.
- Before you create the frosting, create some ganache by heating 2 tbsp of heavy cream in small saucepan just until the edges begin to bubble. Remove from the heat and add 1 oz of dark chocolate. Stir until chocolate melts. Allow the ganache to cool before using. Alternatively, you can use chocolate syrup.
- To create the frosting, whisk the heavy cream on high speed until soft peaks form. Add in the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Whisk again until stiff peaks form. Put about 1/2 a cup of frosting into a pastry bag with a star tip.
- Bring the cake back onto your counter and use an offset spatula to frost the top and sides of the cake with frosting. You want to work fast to prevent the ice cream from melting. If you find the ice cream is melting, quickly put the cake back into the freezer (without the plastic wrap) and let it firm up again for another 15 minutes.
- Stick the whipped cream frosting in the fridge to keep cool too. Pipe swirls along the top rim of the cake before sprinkling pink, brown, and gold sprinkles over the swirls. Stick the cake back in the freezer for 2 minutes. Take the cake out and drizzle the ganache (or chocolate syrup) over the swirls. Then place in the freezer until ready to serve.
Notes
When storing the prepared ice cream cake in the freezer, you can place the cake in a sealed cake box or a cake stand that is freezer safe. I didn’t have any on hand so I just left the cake in the freezer without anything covering it. I found that it was unaffected by doing this. Also, the next day the cake was still OK with just a slight layer of frost on the chocolate cake layer, but nothing to
really diminish the taste of the cake.
Oh Beeta, thank you so much for sharing Ave Maria – and your beautiful cake, a perfect combination! This took me back to our wedding, we had an opera singer sing ‘Oh mio babbino caro’ as I walked down the church aisle and then Ave Maria after our vows…<3 x
Aww, that is so magical, Louise! O Mio Babbino is a favorite of mine too…I get chills when I hear it <3 Thanks for sharing your sweet memory XO
This cake is stunning, Beeta! I have such a weakness for ice cream cakes and Neapolitan has such a special place in my heart. All these layers are perfect! I love Ave Maria – it is one of mine and my husband’s favorite song that we had played it at our wedding. So so beautiful 🙂
Thank you so much, Kelly! What a beautiful song choice for a wedding <3 Glad to know Neapolitan is a favorite of yours too XO
This is great Beeta – I’ve never seen a cake like this before. How long do you have before it melts? I love Neapolitan ice cream.
Thank you, Angela! Depending how warm of a day it is, it varies. I made this on a very hot day and just chilled the cake after each step when I was assembling (so, stack layers…set in freezer for few min…frost layers…set in freezer….pipe frosting, drizzle ganache….set in freezer until ready to serve). Once it had been in the freezer for about 4+ hours, it was fairly cold and didn’t melt too fast. The next day, it was super frozen where I had to use a hot knife in order to be able to cut through it right out of the freezer, so much greater delay in it melting at that point. 🙂
Omg this is BEAUTIFUL!!!! Like, the song and these photos and this cake and now I have this really big urge to move to Paris and live in a cute little apartment and eat breakfast in my tiny nook where I can gaze at the Eiffel Tower in the distance…… Hehe. Brava, lady!!!
LOL Courtney! Story of my life right there…always dreaming of Paris! <3 I’m so happy I inspired this idea within you…makes my Francophile heart feel proud! :p Thank you so much for your sweet comment! XO
I love listening to music while I cook! I always find it helps to enhance my creativity – and I love dancing around the kitchen hahaha! The beauty of this cake is beyond words Beeta, it’s absolutely stunning! Such an amazing idea, and the layers are so perfect. I love this cake!!!! <3
Dancing around the kitchen is the best!! No cooking or baking session is complete without it! 😉 Thank you so much for your sweet words, love <3
Wow, this ice cream cake is SO beautiful! Love that pink layer and the ribbon of chocolate on top.
Thanks so much, Lu!! The ribbon of chocolate was an afterthought, but totally worked out! 🙂
What a inspirational piece you provided us with Beeta! You are multi talented, pasty and piano? No wonder I love you so much! ; ) I grew up in a up in a music loving home too, but we listened to things like Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Doobie Brothers, George Strait and church hymns… lol… no classical. It wasn’t until my mid 20’s my husband introduced it to me. I loved it so much, I started taking Cello lessons and have loved exploring classical every since. It is so enriching. Ave Maria is one of my favorites and I can see how it would inspire beautiful work like this stunning Neapolitan ice cream cake. I’ve not made one but know it must taste divine! Beautiful work, Beeta!
Thank you so much, Traci! <3 I love you too!! And I love your taste in music 😉 And wow the cello!! How absolutely beautiful…the cello is produces such a gorgeous sound. I would love to hear you play 🙂 Thanks so much for your kind comments, as always XOXO
First, thank you so much for introducing me to this version of Ave Maria – I’m a choral singer so you can imagine my how excited I am about hearing such a beautiful piece. Please could you let me know the details as I would love to sing it! Your description of your childhood memory strikes such a chord with me too- I used to paint and eat freshly baked cookies with my grandmother. Do you still do portraiture now? Also, I’ve never tried making an ice cream cake but shall have to try yours – it’s so elegant and sumptuous!
Oh my, that is so lovely that you’re a choral singer! This version is commonly referred to as Schubert’s Ave Maria (a German version). I paint for fun sometimes, but I’m not a skilled artist so my dabbles are mostly just dabbles :p Thank you so much for your sweet comment <3