Success with this Fourth of July cake is worth celebrating

Susan Selasky Detroit Free Press

Published 10:00 p.m. UTC Jun 30, 2018

I nailed it.

On the cover of Southern Living magazine's July issue was a picture of a festive ice cream cake that looked perfect for the Fourth of July. It was, of course, red, white and blue.

It was also part of the trend of what's being called semi-naked cakes. These cakes, especially the sides, are scantly iced or frosted. There is a thin layer of frosting on the top, and patches on the sides, leaving some of the cake exposed. It's all the rage with wedding cakes.

One of the reasons I don't bake a lot of cakes is the decorating. If it's not picture-perfect, I feel like a failure.

But with this cake, I nailed it. At least I think my adaptation came very close. What struck me was that it looked pretty. Also, ice cream cakes are a favorite of mine.

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After reading through the recipe, it seemed simple enough. It's cake layers with an ice cream layer in between.

The recipe called for making a red velvet cake from scratch. I opted to use a boxed mix. It wasn't that Southern Living's cake recipe was complex — a made-from-scratch cake is always better — it was a time thing.

Baking the cake layers, and additional cake in ramekins, was the easy part.

What took time was freezing cake cubes from the ramekins so they could be folded into the ice cream layer. I made the frosting while the cake cubes were chilling, and they need to be frozen nearly solid. That was my only hiccup: Some of the cubes crumbled when I folded them into the softened ice cream. I ended up with little specks of cake crumbs.

In the end, I was happy. The cake was very good. As one Free Press staffer put it, there are some desserts that you hate yourself for eating, but this isn't one of them.

This cake adventure reminded me of the Netflix series "Nailed It!" I've only seen snippets of the show, but I've been vowing to catch up since the second season started in June. It looks like a hoot.

The show features three home bakers who don't have the best baking skills trying to create fancy desserts. Up for grabs is $10,000. The show is hosted by comedian Nicole Byer and renowned pastry chef Jacques Torres.

If I had the chance to make this dessert on the show, I think I would nail it again.

Red, White and Blue Cake

Serves: 12 / Prep time: 45 minutes / Total time: 1 hour (plus chilling times)

1 box (15.25 ounce) Red Velvet Cake mix

ICE-CREAM LAYER

5 cups favorite vanilla ice cream

FROSTING

1½ tablespoons cold water

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin

1½ cups heavy cream

3 tablespoons powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

GARNISH

2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour twp (9-inch) round cake pans. Place paper baking cups in two standard-size muffin cups, or grease and flour two 4-ounce ramekins.

Make the cake mix batter according to package directions. Fill muffin cups or ramekins three-fourths full. Divide remaining batter between prepared cake pans.

Bake according to package directions. Cool cake layers and cupcakes in pans on wire racks for 15 minutes. Transfer cake layers and cupcakes from pans to wire racks, and cool completely, about 30 minutes. Wrap cupcakes in plastic wrap, and freeze 2 hours.

Prepare the Ice-Cream Layer: Line a 9-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap, allowing ends to extend over edge of pan to create handles. Remove cupcakes from freezer, and cut into 1⁄4-inch cubes. Place ice cream in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until soft but not melted. Gently fold cupcake cubes into ice cream. Spread ice cream into prepared pan. Cover and place pan in freezer until frozen, at least 3 hours or overnight.

Prepare the Frosting: Place water in a small microwavable bowl, and sprinkle with gelatin; let stand 5 minutes. Microwave on HIGH until gelatin melts and mixture is smooth, about 10 seconds. Let stand
5 minutes.

Place cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium-high speed until soft peaks form. With mixer on low, gradually add gelatin. Increase speed to high, and beat until stiff peaks form.

Assemble the cake: Place one cake layer on a platter or cake stand. Using plastic wrap handles, remove ice-cream layer from pan and place on top of cake layer. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread thin layers of frosting over the sides, more generously on top. Loosely cover with plastic wrap, and freeze at least 2 hours.

Let stand at room temperature 20 minutes before serving. Top with blueberries. Freeze any leftovers.

Adapted from Southern Living magazine, July issue.

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