25 Apr Blackberry and Apricot Ice Cream Cake

I don’t know about you, but I’m so ready to see my friends again! It’s been 6 weeks of lockdown now – that’s 6 weeks of not leaving the house at all. Although I’ve always been quite a home-body and enjoyed spending my days in the kitchen, it’s not quite the same when you don’t have anyone to share your creations with. My husband has some of it, but he actually doesn’t have much of a sweet-tooth!

So although it still feels like an absolute age until we can have friends round for dinner again, I’ve already planned the dessert. Despite how beautiful this blackberry and apricot ice cream cake looks, it’s unbelievably easy to make! The combination of sweet blackberries and tart apricots is a winner, but if you struggle to find blackberries, frozen mixed berries would work well too.

Ingredients:

1 x 410g tin apricot halves
200g frozen blackberries
2 tbsp icing sugar
1 tbsp of water
1 litre vanilla ice cream
1 cup fresh blackberries, for serving

Directions:

• Decant the tin of apricots and syrup into a dish and freeze for at least 6 hours. Chop the frozen apricot mixture into blocks or chunks, then blitz in a blender or food processor until you have a smooth sorbet consistency. Keep in the freezer while you prepare your other elements.
• Blend the frozen blackberries and icing sugar together until smooth, adding the water (and a little extra if necessary) to thin it a little. Pass through a sieve or strainer and refrigerate.
• Allow the vanilla ice cream to soften at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Grease a loaf tin with a little oil, then line it with clingwrap, leaving some overhang on the sides.
• Dollop a few large spoonfuls of ice cream into the tin, then a few smaller spoonfuls of the apricot sorbet and blackberry sauce in-between. Repeat this process until the loaf tin is completely full. Tap the loaf tin onto your counter a few times to remove any air pockets. Use a palette knife the even out the top, then fold in with the excess clingwrap to cover the top.
• Freeze for at least 3 hours until frozen solid. To unmould, briefly dip the loaf tin in hot water, then invert onto a serving platter. Lift off the loaf tin, then peel off the clingwrap. Cut into slices and serve immediately!