Chocolate-Coffee Bean Ice Cream Cake — The Dessert We Make When the Number Matters

The cookbook’s pre-publication sales numbers came in Tuesday afternoon from the publisher’s sales team. The agent forwarded the email at three PM Eastern. The pre-order numbers are tracking strong — not New York Times-bestseller-strong, but strong enough that the publisher is moving the print run up by twenty-five percent and increasing the marketing budget for the launch week. The sales team is excited. Cody is excited. The cafe is going to host a launch event in late September with a small reading and a tasting of the recipes from the cookbook.

The numbers came in at the end of a long week. Brayden has been picking up vocabulary from kindergarten that I am not entirely thrilled about (he came home Wednesday with a phrase Dustin’s parents will not be amused by when they hear it next time). The cafe is doing record numbers and Cody is on his feet sixty hours a week. Mama is in her second full year as front-of-house manager and is genuinely happy in a way I haven’t seen her be happy in years. Aunt Linda and Roy are still parents-of-Harper-now-a-three-year-old and Harper has started saying “Brayden” when she sees him on FaceTime.

Sunday I made chocolate-coffee bean ice cream cake because the publisher’s pre-order number was a number worth celebrating with a serious dessert. Chocolate-coffee bean ice cream cake is the kind of restaurant-elegant frozen dessert that lives in the bakery cases of upscale ice cream shops — layered chocolate ice cream and coffee ice cream on a chocolate cookie crust, finished with chocolate-covered espresso beans and a hot fudge drizzle. The dish reads as “the dessert you order when you’re celebrating something specific” rather than “the dessert you make on a Tuesday.”

The technique: the chocolate cookie crust. A sleeve and a half of chocolate sandwich cookies (Oreos, the original; the chocolate-cookie-with-cream-filling combination is the right base) crushed in the food processor with five tablespoons of melted butter. Pressed firmly into a parchment-lined nine-inch springform pan. Refrigerated thirty minutes to set.

The first ice cream layer: a quart of high-quality chocolate ice cream (good ice cream is non-negotiable for an ice cream cake; the cheap stuff goes icy when you rebuild it into a cake) softened on the counter for about fifteen minutes until spreadable. Spread evenly across the chilled crust. Sprinkle a quarter-cup of chocolate-covered espresso beans across the surface. Freeze for an hour.

The second ice cream layer: a quart of high-quality coffee ice cream similarly softened. Spread evenly across the frozen chocolate layer. Smooth the top. Freeze at least four hours, ideally overnight.

The hot fudge drizzle: in a saucepan, combine a half-cup of heavy cream, a quarter-cup of sugar, two tablespoons of butter, four ounces of dark chocolate chopped, a tablespoon of corn syrup. Bring to a simmer over medium heat for three minutes, stirring constantly, until smooth and glossy. Cool slightly.

To serve: release the springform sides. Drizzle the warm fudge generously over the top of the cake. Top with a final scatter of chocolate-covered espresso beans. Slice with a knife dipped in hot water for clean cuts.

Dustin and I had slices Sunday at four PM. The cake is going in the freezer for the rest of the week. The cookbook launch is in five months. The number on the pre-order tracker is the number that says we are going to be okay.

Two ice cream layers, frozen between, espresso beans throughout, hot fudge to serve. Don’t cheap out on the ice cream. Here’s the build.

Chocolate-Coffee Bean Ice Cream Cake

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes (plus freezing) | Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes | Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 24 chocolate sandwich cookies (such as Oreos), finely crushed
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chocolate-covered espresso beans, roughly chopped (plus more for topping)
• 1.5 quarts chocolate ice cream, slightly softened
• 1.5 quarts coffee ice cream, slightly softened
• 1 cup hot fudge sauce, divided (plus more for drizzling)
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Make the crust. Combine crushed chocolate sandwich cookies with melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Freeze for 15 minutes until set.
2. Add the chocolate ice cream layer. Spread softened chocolate ice cream evenly over the frozen crust, smoothing the top with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Drizzle 1/2 cup of hot fudge sauce over the top and scatter half the chopped espresso beans. Freeze for at least 1 hour until firm.
3. Add the coffee ice cream layer. Spread softened coffee ice cream evenly over the frozen chocolate layer. Smooth the top. Freeze for at least 1 hour until firm.
4. Add the fudge layer. Warm the remaining 1/2 cup hot fudge sauce until just pourable. Pour and spread gently over the coffee ice cream layer. Freeze for 30 minutes.
5. Make the whipped cream topping. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 3—4 minutes.
6. Top and finish. Spread or pipe the whipped cream over the top of the cake. Scatter the remaining chopped espresso beans and mini chocolate chips over the whipped cream. Drizzle with additional hot fudge if desired.
7. Final freeze. Return the assembled cake to the freezer for at least 4 hours, or overnight, until completely solid throughout.
8. Serve. Remove the cake from the freezer 8—10 minutes before serving to soften slightly. Run a thin knife around the edge of the springform pan before releasing. Slice with a sharp knife warmed under hot water and wiped dry between cuts.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 29g | Carbs: 61g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 210mg