Husband pampering

Today is Jason's Birthday!! so.... he loves coffee right? I made him coffee added a little of the caramel sauce from my caramel sauce recipe and then topped it with some fresh whipped chocolate cream. To do this I used the remaining 1 cup of Heavy Whipping Cream that I had after I made his ice cream yesterday.... 

Chocolate Whipped Cream

1 Cup Heavy Whipping cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbs. Sugar
2 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder

1. Whip all ingredients until stiff peaks form. Yes, you can over whip... makes it not easy to dollop off your spoon, more of a plop, but doesn't hurt the cream.
Tip: I like to chill my bowl and mixer whisk in the freezer for about 15 minutes before I want to start the recipe, it makes it whip up faster.

Now for the Cake..... I have to admit, I caved for lack of time and used box brownies even though I have a really yummy brownie recipe... usually, though, I like to make mine home made :P

Homemade Fudgy Brownies (for cake crust)

1/2 cup canola oil

3 ounces unsweetened bakers chocolate coarsely chopped, (or cocoa/shortening substitute if in a pinch read your cocoa container and it should have the directions for doing this)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2/3 cup all P. flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. in saucepan melt bakers chocolate and oil over low heat stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let sit while preparing remaining ingredients.

2. Grease 8X8 pan for regular recipe. For your cake crust, however, bake in a 10" spring form pan. set aside. Stir sugar into Chocolate mixture.Add eggs, 1 at a time to mixture, mix with wooden spoon until combined. Stir in vanilla.

3. In small bowl stir together flour and baking powder. Add four mixture to chocolate mixture, stir just until combined. Add nuts if desired. Spread batter in pan.

4. Bake in 350 degree oven for 30 minutes. Cool on rack, or grates on gas stove top work well too.  Brownies will look moist when you pull them out. They finish cooking as they cool, and I like them almost doughy in the middle! This is not a Cake style brownie recipe!!

Now that you have your crust, time to make ice cream! Unless you don't have an ice cream maker, then just go pick out your fav. flavor of ice cream and call it good! Or, hubby says, go buy ice cream maker (cause it's a sin not to have one.... he says....) :P

This Year he choose Mocha Chip Ice Cream, okay, so I encouraged that decision a little bit... So shoot me??

Mocha Chip Gourmet Ice Cream

You'll need this much to make 2 Quarts of ice cream:

1 1/2 Cups whole Milk

1 1/3 Cup Granulate Sugar

4 T. Instant Coffee of espresso powder I used plain old Nescafe Suave....

1 ounce unsweetened bakers chocolate (makes "chips" in the ice cream but you can use 3 T.                     Unsweetened cocoa instead, it will just be chocolate, no little pieces.)

3 cups heavy cream

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

In small pan with wire whisk mix together milk, sugar, cocoa, coffee/espresso powder until sugar and powder are dissolved, about 2 minutes on low. Stir in Cream and vanilla. Freeze according to your machines directions. Mine takes about 25 minutes to freeze to a soft serve texture, then I put the ice cream in an air tight tub and freeze for 4-5 hours until I put on top of Brownie crust.

Next...... completing your cake!!