Cassata Icecream

Ice creams............I go crazy on Ice creams..Just had two scoops as I got tempted on typing the word here :)...My father in law used to fill the freezer regularly for me with ice creams as I had the habit of having it daily...And I gained good weight..my husband stopped his dad from doing it :(...I love to have Pistachio,Butter Scotch and Tutty Fruity flavors the most,specially loaded on the top with nuts.Then is my favorite "Cassata " - The blend of minimum 3 flavors of ice cream layers that too beautifully bounded with each other and with crunchy nutty crust.Most of the brands in India serve casatta with chocolate / Strawberry flavor as one of the layer...I can manage with strawberry but I don't like chocolates in ice cream or cakes..That portion of my Cassata would go to my hubby or brother always.

After started staying out of India,I was craving for this ice cream and unable to find it anywhere.I use to spend minimum 15 minutes in the ice cream racks of super markets to search for it or at least some ice cream with cake in it.I could not.I was starving for it and my hubby questioned "why can't you try it at home". Then i decided to try it as one among my other experiments in Kitchen. And  I got a reason for making this - for my wedding anniversary. My first choice was to get some flavors from BR and prepare this . But wanted my hubby to experience my hand's touch in each layer while he tastes it.Thus was born the 100 % home made Cassata Ice cream.

Note: I have not included the steps to prepare the ice creams and cake here as there is a choice of using ready made ice creams . It is a very simple and easy to prepare recipe.The links for the recipes would be enabled shortly.

Ingredients :

Vanilla Sponge Cake [I used Home made Eggless Vanilla Sponge Cake]	:	1
Tutty Fruity Ice Cream	:	3 Scoops
Vanilla Ice Cream	:	3 Scoops
Pistachio Ice Cream	:	3 Scoops
Broken mixture of Cashew nuts and pistachios	:	1/2 cup

Prep Method:

1. Take a flat bottom dish with height approximately 4 inches.If you have a loaf tray then well and good.I did not had any such pan and hence I used an old Ice cream box which was freezer safe. There is no restriction in choosing this, but you would need sufficient height for the layers to be thick enough.

2. We can use a butter paper such that it clings out of the box slightly which would help us in removing the ice cream from the box to serve.This is optional as I didn't use it and also my ice cream was set perfectly that it popped out as a cute baby without creating any mess :)...

3.Take the Vanilla sponge cake and cut it to fit the bottom of the box and of height about 3/4 inch. I prepared  the cake using the big cooker separator in my Pressure cooker and hence it was easy for me to cut it to fit my box.This cake will be our bottom most layer. Note: Ensure the top and bottom of the cake spread here is flat enough . We have to carefully remove the domed top layer of the cake (if it is not a flat store bought one) as this is the base holding all the other layers.

3.Take the Tutty Fruity Ice cream out of freezer and let it melt slightly in room temperature so that it will be easy to spread it and the layer also will be of uniform thickness.Spread the ice cream evenly on top of the cake of about 3/4 inch thickness as a flat layer. Optionally you can add some more tutty fruity in case they are not prominently visible. Cover the box with Aluminium Foil and then with the box cover.Store in freezer for minimum 30 minutes so that the ice cream gets adhered to the cake and is properly set.

4.Similar to how we layered the Tutty Fruity Ice cream, take out the Vanilla ice cream and let it melt slightly and spread it uniformly on top of the Tutty Fruity layer. Do not apply more pressure while spreading as we are layering on top of an ice cream and there are chances that the layers may not look good.Freeze it to set .

5. Similarly, spread the Pistachio flavor and let it set for about 10 minutes.The lesser time here is for garnishing the top with the nuts.

6. Uniformly spread the broken nuts on top of our last layer.Slightly press (do not be harsh as the nuts will be submerged in the ice cream completely) the nuts with the back of a ladle so that they are slightly rooted in the ice cream and would not fall off while cutting into slices.We are almost done.Put it back in freezer for 20 more minutes.

7.When the ice cream is fully set, take it out and invert the box Slightly tap on the top and sides of the box and slowly remove it. Once it is fully out carefully hold it and invert it such that the cake is the bottom most layer.The nuts would have already set so they wont fall off.

8.Carefully cut the cake into slices and enjoy the blended taste of all the layers.

Notes :

• The ice creams I used were home made and would melt easily when kept out for longer time.So,store the remaining pieces back in freezer and take out just before consuming.
• There is no restriction in the number of layers. But better to have 3 or 4 layers of ice cream. In case more flavors are needed reduce the thickness of the layers slightly.
• You can combine your favorite ice creams and order them with a good contrast between each layer so that you give it a pleasant look.
• Using a cling film or butter paper before placing the cake in the mould will help you in removing the ice cream out easily,but it is better to have minimal folds while setting it to the height of the box.
• The mould I used was slightly tapered at the bottom and the last layer will be slightly covering the cake.