Baking Pictures and a Recipe for Oreo Ice Cream Dessert Cake

These types of desserts are the things I think of when I think of homemade. They take some time, and they are always wonderful. The above picture is a Black Tie Mousse Cake. My husband ate this at Olive Garden when out of town on business. He called to tell me it was the best dessert he had ever eaten. Well, that didn't sit too well with me so I knew I had to recreate it. If it is really as good as Olive Garden's, then I will pass the recipe on to you.

This is our traditional coconut cake. This cake is a taste of my childhood. It was served at all of our birthday celebrations. (Robbie, did Mom ever make a cake that wasn't a coconut cake for our birthday)? My mom made her cakes in a 9 x 13 cake pan, but on Christmas my grandmother also made this cake. She made it as a layer cake, and I fell in love with it. I loved the icing in between the layers. It was also very beautiful to me. As a child it reminded me of a huge snowball. My grandmother made this cake for my Dad's birthday which was on Christmas day. After her death, I started making his birthday cake. After I was married and moved away, I would still make this cake for his birthday. It was the first cake that I ever tried to bake in layers. I am still not real good at baking beautiful layer cakes. Often times, they look as if they have been through an earthquake! After my dad died four years ago, I quit making this cake. It made me cry and it hurt my heart. Last year, I made it again. I called Hope into the kitchen and gave her a big spoonful of the icing. I told her to take a big bite, and she would be tasting my childhood. She smiled and we laughed. It was good to bake my old favorite cake again without crying.

But this cake...this cake isn't one I would call homemade. After all, it is just a bunch of store bought ingredients thrown together. This cake is what I am known for in these parts. This cake is the one that has teenagers that don't belong to me rummaging through my freezers looking for it. This is the cake that has my sister in law threatening small children if they eat the last piece. (You know that's true, Kelly)! This cake has my same sister in law telling lies to the small children about the cake being gone after she has tucked it in the bowels of the basement freezer so she can enjoy it for breakfast the next day! What she forgets is the teenagers live in the basement, and they too rummage through the basement freezer looking for treasures!!! This cake is the one that our second born son's girlfriend asked me to make her as her birthday gift!!! That is how good this cake is, but it isn't homemade. Hope you enjoy it as much as my crowd does!!

Oreo Ice Cream Dessert Cake

Take a pack of oreo cookies and crush them in a food processor. Add a half stick of melted butter and mix again. Pour the crumbs into a 9 x 13 cake pan. Spread a carton of good vanilla ice cream on top. We like Breyer's and I let it soften on the counter to make it spread easier. Pour a bag of Heath Toffee chips on top. Freeze until needed. To serve: Cut individual pieces and top with hot fudge topping, whip cream and a cherry! It is that easy and that good. Another plus is it can be made several days ahead of time if you can keep the teenagers from finding it!

grace and peace,

julie