Thank you Dorie (@DorieGreenspan) for mentioning my variation on your cake as one of your favorites to the people at O (Oprah!) magazine. What an honor. Dorie is an inspiration who takes the time to respond and encourage people to follow their passion. I have several of Dorie's cookbooks, and many recipes have become favorites at our house. I look forward to trying many more. {You can read all about Dorie and the baking group called Tuesdays with Dorie in the May 2011 edition of the Oprah Magazine.}

And thank you Oprah for including my adaptation of one of Dorie’s recipes on the Oprah website that I morphed into popsicles: Chocolate-Banded Ice Cream Torte.

Here is my post about this recipe...

Chocolate and raspberries are a classic, indulgent and tasty combination. In this recipe, Dorie freezes them together in a delicious ice cream cake that appeals to the over 10 set!

Chocolate “Ganache”

The chocolate part of the dessert is basically an unbaked flourless chocolate cake: chocolate, butter, sugar, and eggs. Although it’s called a ganache in the cookbook, technically a ganache is just cream and chocolate (no eggs or butter).

{Warning: This dessert contains raw eggs, so you should be careful since there’s a chance the egg may be contaminated with Salmonella, a bacteria that can cause food poisoning. Use only properly refrigerated, clean, sound-shelled, fresh, grade AA or A eggs.}

As for the chocolate, I used Bernard Callebaut, who is internationally recognized for producing the best chocolate in Canada and throughout the world. When I was in Saskatchewan, I was able to pick up some Callebaut chocolate at one of his locations. After returning to Ottawa, I found out that my favorite local chocolatier, Truffle Treasures, uses Callebaut chocolate in her truffles, and I can buy Callebaut at her store too.

To make the chocolate ganache, first I melted the chocolate and butter and then added the sugar. After this mixture had cooled a bit, I added the eggs one at a time. {You don’t want the mixture to be too hot when you add the eggs or it will coagulate and you’ll have bits of scrambled eggs in the chocolate.}

Ice Cream

The ice cream step is easy. Using my food processor, I puréed raspberries and added my favorite vanilla ice cream. Then, I threw in a splash of framboise.

Playing Around

I tried freezing this dessert in popsicle molds, but I think it would be better to dip them in the chocolate after freezing the ice cream in the molds so that you have a bite of chocolate with each bite of raspberry ice cream.

Recipe

You can find the recipe for Chocolate-Banded Ice Cream Torte in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan.

Yield: This recipe made 10 popsicles and one 7-inch springform pan.



Tasting Notes

The reviews on this one were mixed from the under 10 set: one daughter liked the chocolate but not the raspberry ice cream, another liked the raspberry ice cream but not the chocolate, and the third liked both together. The adult set thought it was delicious!

Top 15 Treats from Tuesdays with Dorie

Here are my top 15 favorite recipes from the Tuesdays with Dorie treats I made:













French Yogurt Cake


Lemon Cup Custard


Chocolate Armagnac Cake


Floating Islands


World Peace Cookies


Arborio Rice Pudding


Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes


Lenox Almond Biscotti


Dimply Plum Cake


Double-Crusted Blueberry Pie


Peppermint Cream Puff Ring


French Chocolate Brownies


The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart


Gooey Chocolate Cake


Caramel-Topped Flan

To see all the treats I baked for Tuesdays with Dorie, click here.

You should really buy Dorie’s cookbook Baking: From My Home to Yours. There are so many wonderful recipes between its covers.

When I go out for dinner and dessert, I’m always hoping for a dessert menu that doesn’t include the standard items of crème brûlée, cheesecake, pie and a chocolate option. I prefer the napoleons, bananas foster, or sticky toffee pudding menus. Here's one of my favorites.

Recipe for Sticky Toffee Pudding

Makes 1 8x8 pan or 6 individual pans


1¼ cup water
1 cup dates
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup butter
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1⅓ cup flour
¾ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
⅓ cup raisins
½ cup pecans, chopped

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Prepare the baking pans by spraying and lining with parchment paper. Rub butter on the parchment paper.

Bring the water to a simmer. Add the dates and vanilla. Simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool.

Cream butter and sugar. Add dates and water. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and soda. Add to date mixture.

In a food processor, puree until smooth but still a bit chunky. Let cool. Then add the raisins and pecans while it cools.

Bake for 30 minutes (or until a cake tester comes out clean).

Serve with butterscotch sauce, crème anglaise, whipping cream or ice cream and a dusting of icing sugar.