NEAPOLITAN ICE CREAM SANDWICH CAKE
PREP TIME
20 minutes
ACTIVE TIME
20 minutes
TOTAL TIME
2 hours 30 minutes (includes cooling and freezing time)
INVOLVED
This sandwich may require some extra effort, but the visual presentation of one whole ice cream cake, ready to be sliced and enjoyed by kids of all ages, makes it worth it. Besides—now you’ll have a lock-and-load dessert for weeks!
¼ cup canola oil, or as needed
¾ cup boiling water
¾ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
½ cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup plus 6 tablespoons (1¾ sticks) unsalted butter
1½ cups packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 (1½-quart) tubs of ice cream—one each of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
large straw
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 by 18-inch rimmed baking sheet with canola oil, line with parchment paper, then grease the top of the parchment with more oil.
2. In a large bowl, combine the boiling water and cocoa powder and whisk until smooth, then add the chocolate chips and stir until melted and smooth. Stir in the buttermilk.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt and set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time and beat until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
5. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the chocolate mixture all at once. Beat until incorporated, then add the dry ingredients in three additions, beating until just combined after each and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the cake is no longer jiggly and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely in the pan.
7. Invert the cooled cake onto a cutting board and remove the parchment paper. Cut off 1¼ inches from the two short ends of the cake, then cut the cake in half lengthwise. You should now have two cake pieces, roughly 6 by 13½ inches each.
8. Line another baking sheet with parchment paper, invert the two cakes onto it, and freeze for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
9. Transfer one piece of the chilled cake to a large plate; this will be the bottom of your “ice cream sandwich.” This is where you need to work fast and be precise. Cut open the ice cream cartons and discard the packaging. If necessary, square off the edges of the blocks of ice cream into rectangles. Place all three blocks of ice cream in a row directly on the cake layer on the platter, so that they lie flush with one another. Cover the platter with plastic wrap, put it back in the freezer, and freeze for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
10. Meanwhile, use a large plastic straw (a large smoothie straw is best) to carefully make three rows of holes down the length of the remaining cake layer so it resembles the top of an ice cream sandwich. Remove the platter from the freezer and top the ice cream with the perforated cake layer. Freeze, covered, until ready to serve.
