cappuccino ice cream pie

last night after work, we got together with my parents to celebrate my mom's birthday.  for her birthday, ryan and i made a cappuccino ice cream pie.  making this dessert for my mom reminded me of making the homemade ice cream cake for ryan's birthday this past summer.

ice cream pies are so incredibly easy to make.  however, they do take a little bit of patience.  after all, it's hard to wait for desserts to freeze when you just want to dive right into them!  for this ice cream pie, you could use any flavor ice cream you like.  you don't even have to make homemade ice cream, store bought ice cream would work fine too.

my mom's birthday ice cream pie had a chocolate graham cracker crust, a layer of chocolate fudge, and homemade coffee ice cream.  the pie was topped off with frozen whipped cream, dusted with cocoa powder, and decorated with chocolate shavings.  it was absolutely delicious!

cappuccino ice cream pie
prep time: 20-30 minutes
baking time: 8-10 minutes
freezing time: 8 hours
yields: one 9-inch round pie

crust ingredients:
9-10 chocolate graham crackers
2 teaspoons decaffeinated instant coffee
5-6 tablespoons salted butter, melted

ice cream ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons decaffeinated instant coffee
3 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

whipped cream topping ingredients:
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons sour cream

directions:
to make the crust: preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.  in a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until they are the consistency of fine crumbs.  in a separate bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs with the instant coffee and the melted butter.  mix well, making sure that all of the graham cracker crumbs are evenly coated with the butter.  press the mixture into a 9-inch round pie plate.  bake the crust for 8-10 minutes, then remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely.  once the crust has cooled completely spread chocolate fudge evenly over the crust.

to make the ice cream: in a large bowl whisk together all of the ingredients with a hand mixer on low speed for about 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves.  using a 2 quart ice cream maker, turn the machine on and pour the mixture into the freezer bowl.  (the freezer bowl must be already pre-frozen.)  let the mixture mix in the ice cream maker for about 25-30 minutes, or until thickened.  transfer the ice cream to the chocolate crust (there will be some extra ice cream left over that will not fit in the crust).  cover the top with plastic wrap and freeze for about 4-6 hours, or until the ice cream is completely frozen.

to make the whipped cream topping: in a large bowl combine the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla.  whisk together with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form.  gently fold the sour cream into the whipped cream, being careful not to deflate the whipped cream.  spread the whipped cream topping over the frozen ice cream.  allow the whipped cream topping to freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

once the pie is completely frozen, dust the top of the pie with cocoa powder.  optional: add chocolate shavings to the top of the pie for additional decoration.

enjoy!

love, laurie