Because everyone knows ice cream cake is the best kind of cake.
And when it's your birthday, only the best will do.
It's my birthday! Which means it's Claire's birthday too! Which means I can deflect the awkward birthday attention onto someone else! In my case, that means listing some of my favorite things about her in a public-ish forum.
In no particular order:
- She didn't eat me in the womb.
- She's been the most supportive and encouraging of anyone about me starting this whole blog thing.
- I got to make a nerdy joke about mitosis in my Maid of Honor speech at her wedding. And the people laughed.
- Every time she comes to California she eats all the avocados like they don't have them in Boston. It's kind of cute until she makes you guacamole for the 4th day in a row.
- She introduced me to Farscape, Lois and Clark and Babylon 5, and insisted I watch Orphan Black. That almost makes up for the time she turned on this new soap called Passions and we lost 6 months of our lives.
- She's terrifying to play Monopoly with.
- She hearts a dry rose like I do.
Happy Birthday Claire! If some of the things on that list are kind of about me too, well, that's unavoidable after 29 (!!!!) years of twinship.
So, it's my birthday and I can post a recipe that unabashedly calls for a very specific ice cream and none other. I mean, you could use another ice cream but it won't be as good, sorry. For this cake, Three Twins Lemon Cookie Ice Cream is perfectly balanced out by a spicy gingersnap crust and a topping of unsweetened whipped cream. If two years in a row makes something a tradition, then this is my traditional birthday cake. No substitutions will do.
The polite way to serve.
The "it's my party" way.
Gingersnap Lemon Cookie Ice Cream Cake
Serves 1-4, depending on if you share or how generous your slices are.
For the cake:
1/2 cup crushed gingersnaps, plus extra for garnish
1 tbs butter, melted
1 pint Three Twins Lemon Cookie Ice Cream
1/2 pint whipping cream
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Make the crust: break cookies into pieces then process into crumbs using a food processor, or smash them in a ziploc bag using a rolling pin. In the bottom of a 4-inch springform pan, mix together cookie crumbs and melted butter and press evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes until set, then let cool completely.
- Soften ice cream until spreadable but not melted. Spoon the ice cream on top of the crust and smooth into an even layer. There may be a few spoonfuls of ice cream left over. Enjoy as an appetizer.
- Freeze cake until hard. When ready to serve, whip cream into soft peaks. Gently release the cake from the pan and spread the whipped cream on top. Sprinkle with a few of the crushed gingersnaps.
Note:
- This recipe is for a mini version, but for a larger version, double everything and freeze in an 8-inch springform pan.