michelle picker cooks

Fit for any celebration, this cake is very rich and will satisfy a lot of guests. The two layers of no-churn ice cream – pistachio and chocolate – sit on a bitter chocolate crust and are topped with a dark chocolate shell. Start making this a couple of days before you need it.

Prepare a springform cake tin by lining with baking paper. To make the base, empty 1 packet of Arnott’s Chocolate Ripple biscuits (cookies) into a food processor and add 100g (3½ oz) of softened salted butter. If you can’t buy these where you live, try any dry, not too sweet chocolate biscuit or even change the flavour! Process until you have a fine consistency. Press into the cake tin in an even layer and refrigerate. For the pistachio ice cream, toast 145g (5 oz) of shelled pistachios and allow to cool on a plate. Keep some pistachios aside for decoration and process the rest into a paste – this will take some time. In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine the paste with 2 cups of double cream, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk and ½ a teaspoon of salt. Make sure the pistachio paste is mixed through then beat the mixture until you have soft peaks. Spread the mixture evenly over the base, cover with a plate or lid and freeze for 6 hours or until reasonably firm. Now for the chocolate ice cream. This time combine 2 cups of double cream, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, ½ a cup of unsweetened dark cocoa powder and ¼ of a teaspoon of salt. Beat until soft peaks form then spread over the pistachio layer, cover and freeze. When the cake is frozen, make the chocolate shell. In a microwave-safe bowl combine 1 cup of dark chocolate (70% cocoa) – buttons or chopped chocolate – with ¼ of a cup of coconut oil. Heat on high in 30 second bursts until you can mix the chocolate and coconut together into a smooth sauce. Allow it to cool to a still warm and pourable consistency. Meanwhile slice or chop the pistachios you kept for decoration and remove the cake from the tin, making sure to remove the paper from the bottom. When the sauce has cooled, pour it over the top of the ice cream cake, allowing it to dribble down the sides, and sprinkle with the pistachios while the chocolate is still liquid. Cover and return to the freezer until ready to serve.