Easy Ice Cream Kit Kat Cake

I know, some of you are thinking ice cream?! As cold as it is? Is she nuts?! Well, uh..probably, but that’s not the point. The point is…my middle child had a birthday in January (she’s twelve!) and this is the cake she wanted.

She is also the reason behind the now infamous (at my house anyway) Kit Kat Candy Cake and last year’s Reese’s Peanut Butter Better Than $#% Cake (so.good.) This year, she wanted an ice cream cake – but not a traditional one with layers of cake and ice cream…she doesn’t allow her ice cream and cake to touch. *insert eye roll* Nope, this ‘cake’ is made entirely of ice cream. And candy of course. With some Oreos thrown in for good measure.

I have to admit, it was very good. It has also given me some great ideas for future ice cream cakes. It was also much easier than I thought it was going to be, which is always a plus. My only complaint is she didn’t want chocolate ice cream. Are we related? I’m not so sure. (I’m kidding daughter of mine. KissKiss LoveYouMeanIt). 

Don’t let the long list of “instructions” fool ya, it’s not difficult, I just added a lot of commentary in there. “Tips” if you will. You’re welcome or I’m sorry. Whichever fits.

Ice Cream Candy Cake 

  • 2 quarts of your ice cream of choice (We used mint chocolate chip and vanilla)
  • 1 package Oreo cookies
  • 1/4 c. milk
    Kit Kat candy bars (I used about 10 Kit Kat bars…which is 40 ‘sticks’)
  • toppings of choice (we used leftover Kit Kat bars, mini M’s, chocolate chips)
  • (optional) 1 tub Cool Whip, thawed enough to spread, for ‘frosting’
 
*You will also need a 9 inch springform pan*
  • Remove ice cream from freezer and let soften so that it is soft enough to remove from carton, but not completely melted (The more melted it is, the more the ice cream will ooze through the Kit Kat bars surrounding the cake. This isn’t a big deal, but just something I learned in the process. It can always be cleaned up afterwards, if you want it really “pretty” on the outside.)
  • While ice cream is softening, combine 24 Oreo cookies and the milk in a food processor (a blender would probably work for this as well). Set aside. This will form the bottom layer or “crust” for the ice cream cake.
  • Spray the springform pan with non-stick spray. Cut a piece of parchment or wax paper into the same size circle as the bottom of the pan. Line the pan with the paper, then line the Kit Kat bars (standing upright) around the inside of the pan. I find that working with the bars in pairs of two works best. Place bars as close as possible to each other, all facing out the same way. You may find that you need a single bar to close a gap. (Another tip I’ve learned along the way…if you are making Kit Kat cakes in the hot summer time, refrigerate the candy bars and remove from the fridge a few at a time. It makes handling them a little less messy.) 
  • Once Kit Kats are in place, press the Oreo crumb mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan.
  • Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  • Remove pan from freezer and spread one quart of ice cream evenly over the Oreo crust. I added some chopped Oreos over this bottom layer to kind of break it up. You could layer anything you wanted, or nothing at all…your choice! Place pan back in the freezer for 10 more minutes.
  • Remove from freezer again, and spread the second quart of ice cream over the first, and freeze again for 10 minutes.
  • At this point you can either leave cake in the freezer for 8-10 hours to firmly set or you can add the thawed Cool Whip topping as a ‘frosting’, then freeze for 8-10 hours. Since we used vanilla ice cream on top, I didn’t add the Cool Whip.
  • Remove from freezer 10 minutes prior to serving. Add your toppings of choice, and remove the springform outer ring of pan. Slice and serve! 
*Tip – buy an extra Kit Kat bar or two in case you have a few broken sticks in your packs. Perk: you get to eat all the broken ones.
Source:
I may be linking up at any of the following – (Monday)  (Tuesday) , , (Wednesday)  (Thursday)  (Friday) , ,

Christmas Kit Kat Cake with Eggland’s Best {GIVEAWAY}

One of my family’s favorite cakes is what is commonly referred to now as the “Kit Kat Cake” or the “Candy Cake”. I made my first one for my daughter’s 10th birthday and it was a huge success. And delicious! I have wanted to make a Christmas version and the 2013 Eggland’s Best Holiday Dessert Recipe Exchange gave me the perfect opportunity! Plus, my husband needed a cake to take to work, so I could make the cake, and pass the calories on to other people. I’m thoughtful like that 🙂 

You may have seen that I often use eggs in my recipes…like this Biscuit Breakfast Casserole or these Baked Bacon and Eggs. They are my brand of choice because they have 25% less saturated fat than ordinary eggs and contain more vitamins D, E, and B12, and more nutrients like omega-3 and lutein. 

And I’ve never done a side by side comparison to other brands, but look how yellow and pretty they are! (Okay, that’s not really a reason to use them, but hey, it’s an observation!)
Speaking of pretty, does anything scream the holidays like red and green?! I’ve changed the cake recipe up a bit, and from what my husband’s coworkers said…it was delicious! (and the batter was amazing)
Those spatulas work great at getting every last bit of batter out of the bowl. And into the cake pans. Absolutely not into my mouth. *ahem*

Chocolate Vanilla Christmas Cake

1 package devil’s food cake mix (without pudding in the mix)
1 small box instant vanilla pudding mix (sugar free/fat free is fine)
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup canola oil
4 Eggland’s Best eggs, beaten
1/2 cup coffee

1/2-1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

For decorating – 
frosting of choice
10 regular size Kit Kat bars
Red and Green M and M’s (regular and mini’s)
    *any candy you like…I think the peanut butter M and M’s or the Mint would be really good too!
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake and pudding mixes, yogurt, oil, beaten eggs and coffee.
  • Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.
  • Pour batter into two greased and floured cake pans. (or pan of choice)
  • Bake for suggested time on back of cake mix box for the size pan you are using, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Allow cake to cool in pan for about 10 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack to cool completely before icing.

Once the layers are cooled, ice with desired icing. I like to use chocolate, so that you do not get a different color peeking through the Kit Kat bars, but use what you like. For this particular cake, I used Hershey’s Special Dark canned frosting, (however, I’ve since discovered this frosting and it is amazing.) After frosting the cake, place Kit Kat sticks all around the outside of the cake. It works best to break the bars into doubles or triple sticks instead of using singles. The bars will stick to the frosting, and you can place a ribbon around the outside to reinforce the bars and just ensure they don’t fall. I haven’t had this happen, but it could if your icing started to melt. Once the Kit Kat bars are in place, pour your candy over the top, lightly pressing down. I like to use regular M&M’s and mini’s to fill in any gaps. SO MUCH CHOCOLATE, but OH SO GOOD!

{Disclaimer right here!} Eggland’s Best was oh so awesome to send me this great package of goodies (minus the 18 count carton of EB eggs. I buy those at Sam’s Club!)
GIVEAWAY INFO – They are also graciously supplying one Makin’ it Mo’Betta reader with an EB goody bag including an EB spatula, tote, whisk, bowl scraper, plush egg, and coupon for a free dozen of Eggland’s Best eggs! (shipping only available to U.S. residents). Just leave me a comment letting me know you would like to be entered into the giveaway. And if you would like to share your favorite recipe using eggs, that would be awesome too…leave it as a separate comment and you will have an extra entry into the giveaway! Giveaway ends midnight 12/18/13 EST. 

Chocolate Candy Cake

I gave a little overview of my middle child’s 10th birthday last week, with a pic of her Pinterest inspired over-the-top cake. I mean a cake surrounded in Kit Kat candy bars and covered with M&M’s…every kids dream right?! (and me being the chocoholic that I am was secretly super excited to have an excuse to make it!)  Her friends were quite impressed, and deemed me the best baker ever. hahaha, candy will win them over every time!
However, the outside wasn’t the only yummy part of this cake.  The inside was also delicious.  It was chocolate cake and chocolate icing…per Miss Two’s request.  The inside was moist and chocolate-y and the icing was the new Cool Whip frosting, which was light and the perfect match for this cake.
 This cake is adapted from this one. I’ve been making it for years, but usually make it as a bundt cake.  Since I wanted this cake to be a layer cake, I changed the recipe a little to have a cake that was a little less dense and heavy. The result was ‘fluffier’, but not dry.

Chocolate Layer Cake

1 package devil’s food cake mix (without pudding in the mix)
1 small box instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup plain non-fat yogurt (or sour cream)
1/2 cup canola oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm coffee
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, yogurt, oil, beaten eggs and coffee. 
  • Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into two greased and floured cake pans. (or pan of choice!)
  • Bake for suggested time on back of cake mix box, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. 
  • Allow cake to cool in pan for about 20 minutes, then invert onto cooling rack to cool completely before icing. 
  • To assemble “Kit Kat” cake – frost cake as desired, then place full size Kit Kat bars all around the outside of the cake.  My cake used 3 “king size” Kit Kats plus one “regular size”.  I just broke the bars into singles (but I think leaving them as double sticks would be better) and stick them to the frosting on the cake.
  • Once the cake is covered all around the sides with Kit Kat bars, you can cover the top in whatever you like. We used pretzel M&M’s and mini M&M’s.  You could make this cake match whatever theme you are using, or Holiday, based on the color candy you use on top. It makes for such a cool presentation.  I added ribbon around the cake, b/c that is what I had seen on Pinterest.  I thought maybe the ribbon was needed to keep the Kit Kats from falling off, but we didn’t have any issue with that (it might happen if the frosting started to melt however).
This is definitely a “special occasion” cake, with all that candy on top makes quite an impression on kids and adults alike!
I am linking this recipe up at (Monday) , , , ,, , , , , , ,  (Tuesday) , , , ,  , , , (Wednesday) , , , , ,  (Thursday), ,  , , (Friday) ,  ,  (Saturday) ,  , (Sunday) ,  (Ingredient Spotlight: Chocolate), (Ingredient Spotlight: Coffee),