Let’s cook – Sugar-free Ice-Cream Cake recipe

An ice-cream cake has to be the quintessential Aussie celebration dessert – there’s nothing quite like the decadent sweet, creamy, frozen layers to end a blistering hot birthday or Christmas Day. This delectable version is free of guilt, but packed with flavour, thanks to baking bible, Sugar Free Baking.

Carolyn Hartz has penned the 78-page book, detailing how we can indulge, without watching our waistlines bulge. It also means the we don’t feel so bad about giving the kids a sweet treat here and there. We recently shared Carolyn’s recipe for sugar-free Chocolate Hazelnut Spread, and today we’re bringing you her luscious Ice-Cream Cake, which serves eight to 10 people, taken from Sugar Free Baking. It’s a prepare-ahead kind of recipe, but well worth the effort.

Ingredients

2 vanilla pods
500ml milk
6 large egg yolks
120g Perfect Sweet Xylitol
fresh berries to decorate

Raspberry Layer

100g raspberry or strawberry puree
30ml rosewater
200ml cream

Vanilla Layer

200ml cream

Chocolate Layer

100g Dark Bitter Chocolate (or good quality sugar-free dark chocolate) grated, plus extra to decorate
200ml cream

Method

Note: You will need an ice-cream maker or an ice-cream churning attachment (for a stand mixer) to make the ice-cream.

Line the base of a 17cm springform baking pan with baking paper. Open vanilla pods and scrape seeds into a saucepan, using the blunt side of a knife. Add pods and milk and bring to the boil, then remove from heat. 

Using an electric beater, beat the egg yolks and Xylitol in a bowl on high speed until pale and creamy. Using a balloon whisk, gradually pour the boiling milk mixture over the egg mixture, while quickly whisking. Remove pods. Pour mixture back into the saucepan and heat gently, stirring constantly until the custard thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Raspberry layer

Pour 200ml of the custard mixture into a bowl, add the raspberry puree, rosewater and cream. Mix well and refrigerate.

Vanilla layer

Pour 250ml of the custard mix into another bowl. Add the cream, mix well and refrigerate.

Chocolate layer

Pour the remaining 200ml warm custard and the chocolate into a clean bowl and mix well. Add the cream and mix again. Refrigerate. 

Follow the instructions on your ice cream maker to first churn the raspberry layer. Spoon into the prepared pan and smooth over with a spatula. Freeze. Repeat for the vanilla layer then smooth mixture over the raspberry layer. Freeze. Lastly, churn the chocolate layer. Spoon on top of vanilla layer and freeze, preferably overnight.

To serve, turn onto a serving dish and decorate with fresh berries and shaved chocolate.

Recipe tip: If you can’t find sugar-free chocolate and your lifestyle allows you to have a little sugar, you can use a good quality 70 per cent dark chocolate instead.

Do you have a recipe that’s a hit every time? We want to know about it! You can send us your favourite recipes, and while we can’t reply to each submission, we’ll certainly let you know if your recipe is chosen to be shared with the Babyology community. We can’t wait to hear from you and look forward to seeing your culinary creations!