Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake- July DB Challenge

Ever have a friend try to set you up with someone and when you ask them what the person looks like and they respond with "I mean, they're cute... and they have a great personality!"? 

That is pretty much this cake's story.. she may not be a looker, but she tastes FANTASTIC!

I feel like every time I do a challenge the dessert featured is my new favorite. This dish is absolutely delicious- definitely a new favorite, but I must admit I did get a little frustrated with it at times...like when I had to scrape the cake out of the bottom of the pan (fail) ...

and start all over again (thank you parchment paper)

 or when I didn't read the directions well enough and ended up with a mess of melted ice cream after trying to spread it over warm hot fudge (woops) or when, because of the melted ice cream seeping through the slices of cake, it would not cooperate during its photo shoot (such a diva)..

Despite all the previous mishaps, this is still a wonderful dessert. Anytime you make your own ice cream and then use it in a cake, time is going to play a key factor. In the end though it was well worth it, but if you are going to try to recreate this cake make sure you follow the directions and give yourself enough time with the ice cream (we learned this the hard way when MM didn't allow the coffee ice cream to chill enough leaving us with a very soft ice cream). I would suggest making this over the span of two days- one day for you ice cream and one day for your Swiss rolls and freezer time.

Since MM was in charge of the ice cream portion (I bought him an ice cream maker for Christmas last year) we switched it up a little bit and made Vanilla Ice Cream and Coffee Ice Cream with a Coffee Infused Hot Fudge Sauce.

The July 2010 Daring Bakers' challenge was hosted by Sunita of 'Sunita's world- life and food.' Sunita challenged everyone to make an ice cream filled Swiss roll that's then used to make a bombe with hot fudge. Her recipe is based on an ice cream cake recipe from Taste of Home.

Swiss Rolls
Oven: 400 Bake time: 12 minutes 
(Makes 2 logs)

6 eggs
1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
6 TBS AP flour
5 TBS cocoa powder
2 TBS boiling water
oil for brushing pans

Filling:
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 vanilla pod, cut into small pieces or 1 tsp vanilla
5 TBS sugar

Preheat oven to 400. Brush two 11x9 inch pan with oil and line bottom with parchment paper* a must.
In a small bowl whisk flour and cocoa powder.
In a large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until thick- beaters should leave a trail on surface when lifted.
Add flour mixture in three batches, folding gently until combined. Fold in water.
Divide mixture into baking pans, spreading until smooth.
Bake for 12 minutes or until cake is springy to touch.
Once out of the oven, spread a kitchen towel on the counter and sprinkle with sugar.
Turn the cake onto the towel, peeling away the parchment paper.
Starting from the shorter side, start to make a roll with towel going on the inside. Cool wrapped roll on a rack. Take a look at Sunita's picture if you're having trouble grasping this...


I forgot to take my own pics so these are actually from Sunita's post! 

Repeat for the next cake.

While cakes are cooling, go ahead and make the filling.
Cut your vanilla bean into small pieces.
In a food processor, grind sugar and vanilla pieces until well combined and vanilla pieces are very small. If using vanilla extract, just grind sugar until fine.
 In a large bowl, beat heavy cream and vanilla-sugar mixture until stiff peaks are formed.

Once rolls are completely cooled, open the rolls and spread cream mixture, making sure not to go all the way to the edge.
Roll the cake up again, this time without the towel. Wrap roll in saran wrap and place in the fridge to chill until needed.

Vanilla Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk
2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar

In a medium bowl, use hand mixer or whisk to combine milk and sugar until dissolved.
Stir in heavy cream and vanilla to taste.
Tun machine on and pour mixture into chilled freezer bowl.
Let mix until thicken about 25-30 minutes.
Transfer ice cream to freezer safe bowl and place in freezer for a few hours of overnight.

Coffee Ice Cream
1 cup whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup sugar
2-3 TBS instant coffee of espresso
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, use hand mixer or whisk to combine milk, sugar and coffee until dissolved.

Stir in heavy cream and vanilla to taste.

Tun machine on and pour mixture into chilled freezer bowl. 

Let mix until thicken about 25-30 minutes.

Transfer ice cream to freezer safe bowl and place in freezer for a few hours of overnight.

Coffee Infused Hot Fudge Sauce
1 cup sugar
3 TBS cocoa powder
2 TBS cornstarch
1 1/2 cup brewed coffee
1 TBS butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

In a small sauce pan, whisk sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and coffee.
Place over medium heat and stir constantly until it begins to thicken and is smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in butter and vanilla. Let cool.

Now the fun part..Let the assembly begin!
1. Take Swiss rolls out of the fridge and cut into about 20 equal slices.
2. Line a large glass bowl with saran wrap- this is what your swiss rolls are going to cling to.
3. Arrange two slices at the bottom of bowl, seam sides facing each other. Arrange remaining rolls along the bowl, cover and place in the freezer to firm up (at least 30 minutes)
4. Soften vanilla ice cream and after removing saran wrap from rolls, add ice cream on top about half way up the bowl. Return to the freezer for at least an hour.
5. Add fudge sauce over vanilla ice cream, cover again and freeze another hour
6. Soften coffee ice cream and spread it over fudge sauce. Cover with saran wrap again and freeze this time for about 4 or 5 hours (this is the last time I promise)
7. After hours in the fridge, place the serving plate on top of the bowl. Turn upside down and remove bowl and saran wrap.
8. Keep the cake out of the freezer a few minutes before slicing.

Steps 4-7 is where my patience ran low and I sped through the directions leaving us with a very messy, still extremely delicious, Swiss Swirl Ice Cream Cake.

This is a perfect dessert when you're trying to impress some friends you're having over for dinner, or a boy or a girl perhaps? Just don't do what I did.. read the directions and your cake won't have the diva moments mine did :)