Monday 9 September 2013

Reader Recipe: Ice Cream Bread




September is Reader Month! For the rest of the month, I'm featuring a reader recipe every Monday and Friday. Who’s jealous of my life? [insert cricket FX]

I’m starting things off with the strangest recipe I’ve seen in a while – and that’s saying a lot. I was first sent the recipe for ice cream bread by fellow blogger, Jenny. Then my sister Sue sent me a recipe book that her work colleagues put together. Lo and behold, there was ice cream bread again. I figured it was one of those signs. Like locusts.

Alls you do is mix ice cream with self-rising flour. I used peanut butter chocolate ice cream and threw in some old chocolate chips I had lying around. Then I brought it into work for a taste test. Comments ranged from “good” to “so-so” to “it tastes like an old cupboard.” (That could’ve been the chocolate chips.)

Anyways, what ice cream bread tastes like is besides the point. In the world of caker cookery, it’s the thrill of revealing what our food is made with that really counts. And once you unveil your magic ingredient, you’ll have every caker going back for seconds, old cupboard taste or not.

See you on Friday!

2 cups of your favourite ice cream, softened
1 and 1/2 cups of self-rising flour (see note)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8×4 inch loaf pan. Mix the ice cream and flour together in a bowl just until combined. Smooth it out so it looks even. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool for a while and then serve. If you don’t have self-rising flour, simply use regular flour! For every cup of flour add 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt (sift together).

Note: I got into an argument with the woman at the bulk store because I said cake flour was the same thing as self-rising flour. She said it wasn’t. Turns out she was right, so I can never go back to that store again. Anyhoo, I used the flour/baking powder/salt option, but my loaf seemed kind of flat. Maybe my pan was too big.

Source: Sue's work cookbook

21 comments:

  1. I am fascinated by this! I wonder if it would have tasted differently with cake flour - however, I don't think it would have.

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    1. Eartha, I didn't think this would work. Mix ice cream with flour? It sounded too simplistic, even for a caker like me. I can't help but wonder how much the ice cream flavour plays in the overall taste. Rocky Road? Strawberry? Maple Walnut? (For the elderly folks.) The possibilities are endless. If only I had the ambition.

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  2. I tried this recipe years ago when I came across it in The I Hate to Cook Book. Peg Bracken called it Ice Cream Muffins, so I made them in a muffin tin.
    Meh.
    Don't bother trying the recipe again with self-rising flour. That's what I used (I follow directions, yes SIR) and they still weren't worth eating.
    Do you even have self-rising flour Up There? In the states, it's popular in the South, but nowhere else, it seems.

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    1. I like how you refer to Canada as "Up There." As though we're all sitting on clouds, eating poutine. I don't know if we have self-rising flour. After my altercation with the bulk store lady, I have to wonder.

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    2. Keeping in mind, of course, that if we were all eating poutine whilst sitting on clouds "Up Here" that we would fall to the Earth, or "Down There" in short order. :)

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    3. Aren't you, Brian? Aren't you all Up There sitting on clouds eating poutine? Please don't shatter my illusions.

      By the way, a restaurant chain around here is now featuring "poutine" (note the quotation marks) as a special. For some reason, they seem to think that putting salsa on top is a good thing...

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    4. salsa + poutine = ????
      I have heard of poutine italienne (spaghetti sauce on top)

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    5. I've heard of "poutine caker." It's Ragu on Tater Tots.

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  3. Yes we do have self rising flour in Canada. I got it in Superstore a few years ago. The bag is white with blue writing...smaller than the robin hood type of bag of flour. PS the cake sounds pretty bad.

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    1. Thanks for the tip, Suzanne. Leave it to Superstore to stock pretty much everything ever made in the history of planet.

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  4. Ditch the self-rising flour. How the hell is a caker supposed to find THAT? And measuring out salt and baking soda? Please. I have no clue where I keep measuring spoons. This actually makes a lovely cake with a cake mix, instead. (Really!)

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    1. Hold on. Are you saying you can mix ice cream and cake mix? You mean, I don't even have to bother with the flour part?

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    2. actually that sounds like it might work!!

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    3. That's right. One cake mix. 2 C melted ice cream. Bake per cake mix directions. I believe it is officially called "The Incredible Melted Ice Cream Cake." You might want to make one to apologize to your coworkers for the brick created by the self-rising flour.

      I really like using Dulce De Leche ice cream and white cake mix - Sounds fancy, no? And you can pour a jar of Caramel sauce on top and Voila! (Ooh la la!)

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    4. When I first saw the name, I thought Ice cream bread sounded good until I saw it was just flour and ice cream. I'm with Stephanie here, the cake mix recipe sounds much better.

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    5. That settles it! Stephanie, I'm making your version and will post it this Friday. Fasten your seat belts for Ice Cream Bread: The Return.

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    6. Brian - I have not been this excited since Campbell's announced Healthy Request Cream of Celery soup.

      HOWEVER.... some versions of this cake recommend eggs (2-3 per cake mix directions).

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  5. This comment is from CSGreatEscaper. I acidentally deleted it.

    "You know...ice cream is not what it used to be. It used to be made with cream and milk and sugar and vanilla; now what with the carrageenan and whey and preservatives and extra whipped in air and what not, well, no wonder your loaf tasted like nothing on earth - as you sit there in the clouds eating poutine."

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    1. I've been noticing that "ice cream" isn't appearing on cartons any more. Now it's called "dairy product" or "frozen dessert." I think "frozen carrageenan" has a nice ring to it, though.

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  6. Thanks for sharing.
    I will try it this sunday .

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    1. Good luck! I'm making the cake mix version and will post on Friday if you want to see those results before attempting your own.

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