Recipe
Spiderweb Ice Cream Cake for Halloween
A beautiful spooky ice cream cake, perfect for Halloween. A delicious Halloween dessert with an Oreo crust, chocolate ice cream, and mango-raspberry sorbet. Topped with lots of spiders!
Prep Time 2 hours 30 minutes Cook Time 10 minutes Freezing time 16 hours Time: 18 hours 40 minutes 
Difficulty: Advanced
Yield: 16 servingsIngredients
Oreo Crust:
- 16 Oreos
- 50 g unsalted butter
Dark Chocolate Ice Cream:
- 100 g good-quality dark chocolate (55-70%)
- 250 ml heavy cream
- 4 tbsp dark cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 200 ml milk
- 75 g granulated sugar
- 2 egg yolks
Mango-Raspberry Sorbet:
- 450 g mango (cubed, from 2 large mangoes)
- 100 g raspberries (frozen)
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 300 ml coconut milk
Vanilla Ice Cream:
- 2 eggs (pasteurized if available)
- 150 ml granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 300 ml heavy cream
- 100 ml milk
Garnish:
- 200 g good-quality dark chocolate
Instructions
Prep:
- Line two round pans, one 24 cm / 9½-inch and one 22 cm / 9-inch pan, with parchment paper**. The small pan is for the chocolate ice cream and mango-raspberry ice cream, and the large pan is for the Oreo crust and the outer vanilla ice cream layer.
Oreo Crust:
- Twist apart the Oreos and scrape out the cream filling. Place the chocolate cookies in a plastic bag and crush them into crumbs with a rolling pin. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl.16 Oreos
- Melt the butter and pour it over the Oreo cookie crumbs, stirring until evenly coated.50 g unsalted butter
- Press the Oreo cookie crumbs into an even, flat layer in the bottom of the large baking pan and refrigerate.
Dark Chocolate Ice Cream:
- Chop the dark chocolate and set it aside.100 g good-quality dark chocolate
- Combine the heavy cream, Dutch-process cocoa powder, and vanilla in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly.250 ml heavy cream, 4 tbsp dark cocoa powder, 1 tsp vanilla
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and let it cool for about a minute, then stir in the chopped dark chocolate. Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate has melted completely. Pour the chocolate mixture into a bowl and set aside.
- Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl and set them aside near the stove.2 egg yolks
- Combine the milk and sugar in a small saucepan and whisk together while heating slowly. Once the milk is warm (not hot!), pour a small amount into the egg yolks while whisking with a fork to temper them.200 ml milk, 75 g granulated sugar
- Pour the egg mixture into the saucepan with the milk and heat everything over medium-high heat until just below the boiling point. The mixture will thicken slightly and coat the back of a spoon in a thin layer.
- Pour the milk-egg mixture into the bowl with the chocolate mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon. Let it cool slightly, then press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the ice cream mixture and refrigerate for at least 6 hours (overnight is even better).**
- Churn the chocolate ice cream in your ice cream maker until it reaches soft-serve consistency (about 30 minutes in my machine). Don't have an ice cream maker? See notes***
- Spread the chocolate ice cream in an even layer in the small springform pan, smoothing the top with an offset spatula. Freeze for at least 4 hours before adding the next ice cream layer.
Mango-Raspberry Sorbet:
- Combine the frozen raspberries and sugar in a small saucepan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat and blend with an immersion blender. Strain the mixture to remove the seeds. Let the raspberry sauce cool in the refrigerator until it reaches room temperature.100 g raspberries, 100 g granulated sugar
- Meanwhile, cut the mangoes into cubes. Blend the mango, raspberry juice, and coconut milk in a blender or food processor until smooth and free of lumps.450 g mango, 300 ml coconut milk
- Churn the ice cream in your ice cream maker until it reaches a soft-serve consistency (about 40 minutes in my machine). No ice cream maker? See notes***
- Spoon the mango-raspberry sorbet into the small springform pan on top of the frozen chocolate ice cream in an even layer, then smooth the top with an offset spatula. Freeze for at least 4 hours.
- Run a knife under hot water and trace it along the inside edge of the springform pan, then release the ring. Remove the parchment paper from the ice cream and place it in the center of the large pan, on top of the Oreo crust.
- Put the ice cream cake in the freezer while making the vanilla ice cream.
Vanilla Ice Cream:
- Whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla together in a bowl with a hand mixer. In another bowl, whip the heavy cream to soft peaks. Gently fold the whipped cream into the egg mixture along with the milk, working slowly so you don’t knock out the air.2 eggs, 150 ml granulated sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 300 ml heavy cream, 100 ml milk
- Churn the vanilla ice cream in your ice cream maker until it reaches soft-serve consistency (about 30 minutes in mine). Don’t have an ice cream maker? See notes***
- Spread the vanilla ice cream over the chocolate-mango-raspberry layer in the large pan, working it down along the sides. Tap the pan on the counter a few times to help the ice cream settle evenly.
- Freeze the ice cream cake for at least 2 hours.
Garnish:
- Melt and temper the dark chocolate****. Spoon some of the chocolate into a piping bag and snip a small hole, or fold a small parchment cone for piping.200 g good-quality dark chocolate
- Take the ice cream cake out of the freezer and pipe a chocolate spiderweb on top with a steady hand. Pipe spiders onto a piece of parchment paper and let them harden before placing them on the cake.
To Serve:
- Let the ice cream cake thaw for 20-30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
*If you're using an adjustable cake ring, place the parchment paper on the outside of the pan so it goes up along the outer edges, then secure it with paper clips at the top of the pan. This creates a bottom for the pan. If you're using a springform pan, line the base with parchment paper and clamp the ring around it so the parchment forms the bottom of the pan.
**If you're short on time, you can instead cool the mixture down by placing the bowl in an ice bath. Stir occasionally until the mixture has cooled completely below room temperature.
***The ice cream can also be frozen manually. Pour the ice cream mixture into a container and place it in the freezer. Stir every 20 minutes and freeze until the mixture has a soft-serve consistency. This step is necessary to prevent ice crystals from forming. Then continue as described above.
****Check out my guide to tempering chocolate if needed. You'll likely have chocolate left over, but it's easiest to temper at least 200 grams of chocolate at a time. Let any leftover tempered chocolate harden and save it for another time.