Recipe: Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake

TIRAMISU ICE CREAM CAKE
Source: Ice Cream Treats: Easy Ways to Transform Your Favorite Ice Cream into Spectacular Desserts by Charity Ferreira
Makes 10 to 12 servings

Once you have lined the pan with ladyfingers, which is admittedly a little painstaking, this impressive-looking dessert couldn't be easier to assemble. Packaged ladyfingers generally come in two varieties: the softer kind, which is like sponge cake and the hard, crunchy ones. Use the latter for this recipe.

30 to 35 crunchy ladyfingers (about 10 ounces)
1/2 cup dark rum
3 pints premium or 1/2 gallon non-premium coffee ice cream
4 ounces mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream
Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting

Line the sides of a 9-inch springform pan with ladyfingers by standing them up vertically, edge to edge, along the inside rim of the pan. Line the bottom of the pan completely with remaining ladyfingers, trimming cookies needed to completely cover the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Using a pastry brush, brush the exposed sides of ladyfingers generously with rum.

Soften ice cream. Spread evenly in pan, smoothing the top. Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the ice cream and freeze until firm, at least 8 hours or up to 2 days.

In a bowl, with a mixer on medium speed, beat mascarpone with sugar and vanilla until smooth. Slowly beat in cream until incorporated (stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary), then beat at high speed until soft peaks form.

Remove cake from freezer and take off plastic wrap. Spread mascarpone cream over ice cream layer, smoothing the top. Freeze until cream is firm, about 20 minutes or up to 1 day.

TO SERVE:
Remove cake from freezer and let stand at room temperature 5 to 10 minutes. Remove pan rim. Dust top of cake with cocoa powder.

To slice cake neatly, clip the blade of a large, sharp knife in hot water and wipe it dry before cutting each slice. Serve immediately.