Recipe: Ice Cream Cakes

I recently made a cookies n cream ice cream cake for my friend Michelle Allred's birthday! I used her favorite ice cream. This cake could serve 15 people easily, with seconds! The frosting below is delicious and the easiest, most rewarding homemade buttercream I have found. 

Materials Needed:

• 9" Springform Pan
  
• 9" Glass Pie Plate
  
• Stand Mixer or hand mixer
• various spatulas

Ingredients:

Brownie Base

• Betty Crocker brownie mix (feel free to use your own or even make them from scratch)
• Tip: add 2 full eggs and one egg white for a more cake-like consistency while maintaining it's brownie persona 

Ice Cream Center

• 1 gallon of your favorite ice cream, thawed

Frosting--Quick Vanilla Buttercream Frosting (taken from Gale Gand, Food Network)

• 3 cups confectioners' sugar 
  
• 1 cup butter 
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  
• 1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream
  
• In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
  
• Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.
  

Favorite Topping:

• crushed Oreos
• nuts
• candy bits
• sprinkles

Directions:

• Bake your brownies, let them cool and remove from pan. You may need to shave off the sides with a serrated knife. 
• Press a gallon of your favorite thawed ice cream into the spring form pan...any kind will do. For best results, use a rubber spatula Take your cooled brownies and press into the thawed ice cream. Cover the whole thing with plastic wrap and place in freezer.
• Allow ice cream to freeze at least 6-8 hours; overnight is better. 
• Make the frosting:
• In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
• Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency.
  
• Use a spatula and your frosting to make a crumb layer. Then put the rest of the frosting on the top of your cake. (It's always easier to take frosting off than to put more on.) This video could be helpful to you. 
• Place your crushed oreos (nuts, sprinkles, candy...whatever) all over your cake...top and sides...e voila