Easy Gluten Free Ice Cream Cake

When my family gets together for holiday celebrations, I am always in charge of making desserts.

I love baking and making sweet treats and could spend hours looking through recipes for something new to try.

This Easter I was doing my usual search for something delicious, when I remembered that whatever I made had to be gluten free, as a family friend who was joining us can’t tolerate the stuff. Automatically I thought about orange and almond cake, but that really seems to be the go-to choice of cakes and…..how many of those do you need to eat in a lifetime?

My other dilemma was that it would need to be made at least 2 days in advance and not go stale and yuck by Easter Sunday. I could not find anything that I really liked in all my recipe books, so I decided to make up my own. After enlisting some help from a friend who does not do gluten, I had all the info I needed to construct my ice cream cake. The perfect choice for a make in advance dish.

Please excuse the not-so-flash image, but we were happily munching away when mum suggested that I should pop the recipe on the blog! Clever girl that mum of mine.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 10)

1 X 2LT tub of Bulla Vanilla ice cream

1 x packet of Woolworths Mini Meringues

(or you can make your own and have plenty leftover to munch on later)

1 x packet Double D Marshmallows, chopped into little chunks

2 cups of frozen mixed berries

METHOD

Step 1 – Place the frozen berries in a large bowl so they start to defrost.

Step 2 – Prepare your pan. I used a round 22cm deep dish pan, but you can make it into a log or even a square if you prefer, as long as it has at least a 2 1/2 litre capacity.  Cut a sheet of baking paper long enough to fit the base, up both sides and a little extra overlap. Fold the paper over twice to create a strip. Lay it across the centre, up the sides and fold the excess over. Using two or three lengths of cling wrap, line the base and sides completely. This will make the cake really easy to remove when you are ready to eat.

Step 3 – Mash the berries a little and then scoop the vanilla ice cream into the bowl. Using a wooden spoon mix until just combined, crush the meringues in your hands and place in bowl with marshmallow pieces.

Step 4 – Mix again until just combined and then spoon the mixture into your prepared pan. Press down with the wooden spoon to make sure it fills all of the pan without spaces and smooth over the top. Cover with more cling wrap and place in the freezer.

This recipe should be made at least the day before required so that it is frozen solid.

You can decorate each slice with fresh berries or an extra meringue if you made your own.

Enjoy!

What is your favourite gluten free dessert recipe?

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