Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

Before I get into recipe talk you may have noticed a bit of a slow down in posts around here. I'm still creating recipes and the finished products will be posted here but more frequent updates and goings on are happening over at Instagram if you would like to join me there!

Some of you may not know this but I don't really love spending a lot of time in the kitchen. I love good food and family meal time.....but large messes and fancy gourmet food that takes a million steps and dirties a bazillion pans....that's just not for me.

I struggle with having a meal take much longer to make then it does to eat. ;) A few times a year for really special holidays I'll make a few exceptions but most of the time I want to be in and out and onto the more enjoyable things like gathering around the table and nourishing body, mind and soul.

I have always loved the idea of ice cream cake and thought they looked super tasty and like lots of fun. But whenever I would look at recipes it just seemed like too many steps and so much time. Remember I'm all about SIMPLE!

So I put off making one......until Curt started saying he wanted one for his Birthday.....I thought about just spending the time to make a real fancy one but then there was a funeral that I found out about the day before and other holidays right in the mix. So I had to just go with it and by design I just had to keep it as simple as possible. It turned out surprisingly good for being so simple. No fancy crust just a layer of Strawberries. When I make it again though I will go all out and add a layer of strawberries in the middle just for a pretty effect. ;)

Strawberry Ice Cream Cake

Ice Cream Ingredients:
4 cans coconut milk
1 cup almond milk
1/2 lb. strawberries, washed and hulled
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 - 3/4 cup pure maple syrup (adjust to desired sweetness depending on how sweet strawberries are)
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon real salt
1 teaspoon guar gum (optional)

Other Ingredients:
1/2 lb strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
1 recipe hardening chocolate sauce (will have extra for adding to individual slices)

In blender blend ice cream ingredients until smooth, you may need to blend for 2 or 3 cycles just be sure to blend on low and not more then three cycles as over-blending can separate coconut milk. Now freeze in ice cream maker. (Makes enough ice cream for two cakes or one cake and extra ice cream for the freezer.....the ice cream is super tasty all on it's own)

While ice cream is churning, line the bottom of a spring form pan with sliced strawberries.  Once ice cream is froze but still soft spread into pan (may fill half way and add more sliced strawberries or just fill to top and then "decorate" however you want with the rest of the sliced berries) Then freeze in freezer.....may make a few days ahead if needed.

About an hour before serving remove cake from freezer, make sauce. Remove band from spring form pan (I set the cake on a platter). Then drizzle sauce over cake and let harden then serve. May add extra sauce to individual slices.