So we are back! From our long road trip all the way to California! Portland, Oregon Coast, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego. Disneyland, Legoland, SeaWorld and San Diego Zoo. All the playing, driving, walking, lining up, sweating, yelling, nagging, whining… and we came back with a huge load of cherished memories. We’ve also learned so much from this epic road trip, and I would love to share our experiences over the family page. Stay tuned.

Oh how much I missed cooking and baking in my kitchen! I’d bookmarked a lot of recipes that I wanted to try coming home, like right after the day we came back. Except I had 600 loads of laundry to do, a big dusty house to clean, a pitifully empty refrigerator to fill, and how could I possibly forget the fact that I have two high-maintenance kids to entertain! Right, summer is not over yet!

Well, it’s too hot to turn on the oven anyway. Look at the beautiful warm weather!

So I went through my to-be-posted recipes, and found this exciting ice cream cake that I made before we left. This is just perfect for this hot and busy/lazy summer. I can’t express how easy it is to put this cake together – Oreo cookie crust, bananas, strawberry ice cream, chocolate ganache, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, some more ganache and some more whipped cream. And of course we all know that nothing looks more summery than a frozen dessert with maraschino cherries on top! The truth is I am not a big fan of maraschino cherries, and strangely I had 1/3 of a jar sitting in the fridge and I really wanted to get rid of it! And turned out it’s not a bad decision at all!

Ingredients (one 7-inch cake):
Oreo Crust
1 1/2 cups Oreo cookie crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Chocolate Ganache
200 grams dark chocolate, cut into small chunks
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon corn syrup
Whipped Cream
2 cups whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Filling
2 bananas, sliced
2 cups strawberry ice cream
2 cups vanilla ice cream
8 to 10 maraschino cherries
1 tablespoon sprinkles

Directions:
Lightly grease a 7-inch springform pan. Line the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
To prepare crust, mix Oreo cookies crumbs and melted butter in a small bowl, until a moist yet crumbly mixture forms. Firmly press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.
To prepare ganache, place chocolate, heavy cream and corn syrup in a medium heatproof bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir the mixture using a wooden spoon until melted and smooth, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
To prepare whipped cream, combine the whipping cream and powdered sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer. Using the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the cream holds firm peaks. Keep it chill in the refrigerator.
To assemble, place banana slices on the crust.
Use an offset spatula to spread the strawberry ice cream on top of the banana slices.
Pour half of the ganache over the strawberry ice cream. Place the pan in the freezer for 15 minutes.
Top with vanilla ice cream.
Followed by half of the whipped cream.
Cover the cake with plastic wrap. Return it to the freezer and freeze overnight.
To release the cake from the pan, invert the cake onto a plate and wrap a hot kitchen towel around the cake pan for 20 seconds. Loosen the ring of the springform pan. Remove the parchment papers. Top with a serving plate and turn the cake right side up.
Pour the remaining ganache over the cake. Use a spatula to quickly push the ganache over the edges of the cake and let it drip down to create the drip effect.
Using a large star tip to pipe a decorative border with the reserved whipped cream along the top edge of the cake. Place cherries on top and garnish with sprinkles.