[Anna W.]

Have a customer who wants an ice cream cake that looks like stacked gift boxes. Does anyone have any advice on how to assemble or decorate a 4" high square cake? Can you use chocolate clay for the decoration? Can you ice it with whipped cream or topping to make it look like a conventional cake? Thanks!

[W.DeBord]

What to asemble it in is my greatest challenge. Usually it's the pan I baked the square in then I add acetate collar inside to increase the height.

Then assemble as always. Let it get rock hard over night before you attempt to unmold and decorate.

You can use anything to decorate it with but consider anything that touches it will be frozen quickly, so you have to move fast (not because it's melting but because it freezes your frosting).

I'd lean toward a poured ganche or even some fudge sauces(if they wanted chocolate) maybe covered in cookie or cake crumbs so it looks good frozen or whip cream if they want a white look. Then I'd use a smooth chocolate bow either chocolate clay or couveture.

Butter cream works fine but you won't have time to go back and smooth much. Although if you use a hair drier that will buy you sometime.


I've never used chocolate clay around frozen cakes but I've worked alot with melted chocolate on patterned acetate strips wrapping that around desserts. But unless the item is small they usuall develop cracks. I tend to think the chocolate clay will be too challenging do to how quickly you'll need to move before it's not flexable.

[panini]

Anna and Robbins,
I've done a couple. Get them to sign a disclaimer on service. You can be responsible to get it to the table, but from then on its in someone elses hands. One we did the photographer decided to have an arguement with his assistant, arrange the back lighting, change cameras and film, etc. all the while the cake getting softer and softer.
I've always put them together just as alaska, totally wrapped in genoise or cake. I've always had the ice cream maker make it up in 1/2 gallon blocks like the commercial. I usually sell buttercream icing, if you use a dence cake or pound cake it is more forgiving while icing. Build the whole cake, ice it, wrap in plastic to prevent sweating, and freeze. We separate each layer with plates and request to disassemble the layers and serve. It is as messy as cheesecake if not worse.
ps I don't soften the icecream, I build it with the blocks.It never seems to get rock hard after softening, put the posts in w/hot steel. pm if you get stuck or have more ?'s.

[Pete]

Once while in school in VT I did a wedding where they had a Ben & Jerry's wedding cake. It was the biggest pain in the a** ever. It came in three separate boxes as there was not a freezer, on premise, to hold the finished cake. We had to finish assembling it, present it so that the guests could see it, cut it and serve it all before this thing melted. The wedding was for approx. 130 guests. I know this doesn't answer your question, but I was reminded of this incident, so I thought I would share.

[momoreg]

That's where dummy cakes come in handy!

[alexia]

As an amateur and consumer my reaction is: why would anyone want an ice cream cake as a wedding cake? I'm not sure I'd even want one as a birthday cake. Won't it melt before it even gets cut?

[W.DeBord]

I assumed it had cake layers. I wouldn't want to do it with-out. I also was assuming that this would be for a home wedding situation where the cake just breifly needed to be presented? They could have it placed on a ice pedestal, much like an ice carving (with a draining platter hidden underneath greenery).

When I did ice cream cakes at the club (we didn't have to transport it so that makes a big difference) but you couldn't dream of cutting into a 9" round until it sat out for 20 min. or so. Even with a hot knive...

[Anna W.]

This is for a home wedding. She is also having a regular cake to go with it. She wants a crumb crust, layer of fudge, ice cream, and frosted with cool whip (?). It will only be presented as it is being ready to get cut. I know this is going to be a PIA but this is a potentially good client, local politician who knows a lot of people.

[alexia]

You not only get to bake, you get a sociological/anthropological peek into our era!