March 12, 2012

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Ice Cream Cake

How delicious and decadent does my cinnamon roll coffee ice cream cake look? Chewy and sweet rolls add the perfect texture to support the amazing flavor combination of cinnamon, coffee, and chocolate. I basically turned a Starbucks coffeehouse into a dessert. 

I know what you're thinking. That looks amazing, but the calories dude..and isn't it time consuming?

Everything in moderation, including moderation. I've lost 40 pounds in the past year by just exercising regularly and having a more balanced diet. I still eat In-N-Out Burger and desserts like this.

This took 5 minutes to assemble. I used store bought ingredients to cut down on time and fuss. Got a favorite cinnamon roll recipe? Feel free to use it instead. Don't like coffee or chocolate ice cream? Put your favorite flavor in. My goal is just to give you a new dessert idea. Let your imagination run with it! 


Cinnamon Roll Coffee Ice Cream Cake
The Play-By-Play Version

Assembly Time: 5 minutes
Freeze Time: 4-5 hours
Yield: 6-10 people

Ingredients:
6 baked cinnamon rolls
1 pint Starbucks signature hot chocolate ice cream
1 pint Starbucks coffee ice cream

Instructions:
1) Pick up baked cinnamon rolls from your local grocery store or bakery. I got a container of 6 at Safeway for $1.99. If you can get them with cream cheese icing, go for it, but the sugar glaze is fine too. Slice cinnamon rolls in half horizontally. It's ok if it's a little uneven as you can see from my photo! 

2) Add a coat of cooking spray to a pan (or reuse the bakery container like I did), line it with a sheet of parchment paper, add a coat of cooking spray to the parchment paper, and then place the bottom half of the cinnamon rolls on top of the paper. It helps if all of your cinnamon rolls are still attached to each other as you can see below.

3) Microwave your pints of ice cream for 10-12 seconds. You want it to spread easily over your cinnamon rolls. Distribute 1 pint of ice cream evenly across the cinnamon rolls followed by the 2nd pint. It helps if you do it in small batches, rather than dump the entire pint at once. Starbucks ice cream is pricier, but well worth it. Ben & Jerry's also makes delicious coffee ice cream, but Starbucks just happened to be on sale.

4) Place top half of cinnamon rolls on top of the ice cream. Make sure it lines up as close as possible with the bottom half. Place in freezer for 4-5 hours, or until its completely frozen.

Note: This particular picture was taken from my first batch where I didn't use the parchment paper. USE IT!
5) Prior to serving, you'll want to take them out of the freezer and let them sit at room temperature for about 10-15 minutes, or until the ice cream softens up. Ice cream tastes better when its slighly melted because your taste buds aren't numbed by the cold temperature.


This dessert isn't too sweet if you use these ice cream combinations, but I do believe the flavor is only enhanced by serving it with a cup of coffee or black tea.

If you use this recipe and make any tweaks, be sure to let me know about it in the comments section below. This dessert has so many possibilities depending on what ice cream flavors you use!

Cinnamon Roll Coffee Ice Cream Cake
The Sportscenter Highlights Version

Assembly Time: 5 minutes
Freeze Time: 4-5 hours
Yield: 6-10 people

Ingredients:
6 baked cinnamon rolls
1 pint Starbucks signature hot chocolate ice cream
1 pint Starbucks coffee ice cream


Instructions:
1) Slice cinnamon rolls horizontally in half

2) Add a light coat of cooking spray to a pan (or reuse the bakery package like I did), line it with parchment paper, add a light coat of cooking spray to the parchment paper, then add the bottom half of the cinnamon rolls on top.

3) Microwave your ice cream for 10-12 to ice cream to soften it. Work in small batches to evenly layer on the 1st pint, then do the 2nd pint. This is easier than dumping each pint on all at once.

4) Place the top half off the cinnamon rolls on the ice cream, making sure to line it up as close as possible with the bottom half. Place in freezer for 4-5 hours, or until the ice cream is completely frozen again.

5) 10-15 minutes prior to serving, take them out of the freezer and let them sit on a counter at room temperature so that the ice cream softens up.