Chocolate-Mocha/Peanut Butter Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup canola oil
• 2 cups sugar

• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup strong coffee
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• pinch of salt

• (+/-) 2 pints chocolate ice cream
• (+/-) 2 pints vanilla ice cream
• 2 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp creamy peanut butter (divided)

(2 cups + 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp)

• 1 cup powdered sugar
2 Tbsp hot fudge sauce

Instructions:
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9" x 13" baking pan by lining it with wax paper and spraying with a light coat of cooking spray

• Beat oil and sugar together until creamy. Mix in eggs and vanilla.

• Add vanilla, milk and coffee -- blending well.

• In separate bowl, combine cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

• Add dry mixture to liquid mixture in three separate batches, blending well after each addition.

• Pour batter into prepared pan.

• Bake for 25 - 30 minutes until center of cake bounces back when touched lightly and toothpick test comes out clean.

• Cool cake completely. (Refrigerating overnight if possible.)

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• Set out both the chocolate and vanilla ice cream and allow it to soften.

• Remove cooled cake from pan, using wax paper to lift it out and avoid breaking.

• Using a large serrated knife, cut cake in half horizontally being careful not to break the layers.

• Prepare TWO 9" x 13" baking pans (this time with plastic wrap) -- being careful to allow plastic wrap to hang over the edges of the pan and not fall inside.

• Place one of the cake layers into each of the prepared pans.

• Using a hand mixer or a blender, soften and smooth the vanilla ice cream. Add 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter and continue blending until peanut butter is fully incorporated.

• Pour 'peanut butter ice cream' over one of the cake layers and smooth with a spatula. Cover and freeze until solid. (Overnight if possible.)

• Soften the chocolate ice cream in the same manner and pour it over the remaining cake layer. Smooth, cover and freeze until solid. (Overnight if possible.)

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• Using hand mixer, blend together 2 cups creamy peanut butter with 1 cup powdered sugar until creamy and smooth. (Depending upon the consistency of your peanut butter, you may need to warm this mixture in the microwave until a spreadable consistency is reached.

• Spread the peanut butter mixture over the chocolate ice cream/cake layer(s) and re-freeze until peanut butter is set.

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• Remove the cake/chocolate ice cream/peanut butter layer from the pan by gently tugging at the plastic wrap. If the cake does not come out easily, place a warm towel underneath the baking pan for a few minutes and try again. It should come out cleanly.

• Place the cake (cake on bottom/peanut butter on top) onto a large plate or cardboard. (We usually use a large sheet of cardboard wrapped in tin foil -- and use paper doilies between the tin-foil and cake.)

• Remove the cake/peanut butter ice cream layer from the pan in the same manner as the first layer; and place it on top of the first layer -- the cake should sit atop the peanut butter with peanut butter ice cream on top. (Layers are in this order: cake - chocolate ice cream - peanut butter - cake - peanut butter ice cream)

• Drizzle with 2 Tbsp hot fudge sauce by placing the fudge into a zip-lock bag and cutting a small slit in one corner. Additionally -- drizzle with 2 Tbsp [warmed] creamy peanut butter in same manner. (Hot fudge does not need to be warm -- just room temperature.)

• Cover with plastic wrap and return to the freezer. If any melting has occurred (and even if it hasn't), wrapping the four outside edges of the cake tightly with plastic wrap helps to "set" the cake as it freezes.

Keep cake frozen until ready to serve.
Thaw slightly before cutting.
You can also cut the entire cake in half
and stack the two halves for a more dramatic presentation.