Brownie Ice Cream Cake

Before providing this brownie ice cream cake recipe, a brief caveat may be appropriate. This recipe has one goal, to produce the most delicious, rich and irresistible brownie ice cream cake possible. The calorie-conscious or those who have a low threshold for pleasure should probably look elsewhere for their dessert fix.

It's hard to conceive of a brownie ice cream cake that isn't delicious. The brownie has a natural affinity for ice cream, one that challenges spaghetti and meatballs or turkey and cranberry sauce for the quintessential culinary couple. Once introduced to the heat of your mouth, the cakey and chocolaty brownie absorbs the quickly melting ice cream, creating an altogether new entity that is neither entirely brownie, nor entirely ice cream. This combination might make you forget where you are for a moment. Don't be alarmed, this is a normal and healthy reaction.

This particular brownie ice cream cake does not pull any punches. It's filled with enough chocolate to make Willy Wonka take notice, but it also makes use of more subtle and complementary flavors and textures, like crunchy macadamia nuts, rich and smooth vanilla and fresh mint.

Brownie Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients You Will Need:
For the Brownies:
½ cup butter
?" cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
½ cup flour
¼ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup white chocolate chips
½ cup roughly chopped, toasted macadamia nuts

Put the butter in a medium-sized, microwave-safe bowl, and melt it in the microwave. Stir in the next three ingredients, and whisk to combine. Add the flour and baking powder, and stir to combine. Fold in the chocolate chips and macadamia nuts. Put into a greased 8-inch cake pan, and bake in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for about half an hour. Once a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center, it is done. Allow to cool before finishing the cake.

Assemble the Cake:
1 recipe brownies
2 pints mint chocolate chip ice cream, left on the counter for about 20 minutes to soften
1 jar your favorite fudge sauce, heated up

Remove the brownies from their pan. Fill the pan with the ice cream, and compress it. Place in the freezer to harden for about half an hour. Remove the ice cream from the pan, and place on top of the brownie. Right before serving, cover the works with the warm chocolate sauce.