Ice Cream Philosophy 101
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“Ice cream is exquisite. What a pity it isn't illegal,” said Voltaire in the 1700s. His philosophy influenced the French Revolution. His stories such as Candide inspired generations of writers. Thank goodness his words never instigated any rebellions against ice cream! There are so many exquisite creations inspired by the frozen sweet stuff.
The ice cream cone was invented specifically to serve the lovely dessert. The cone, by the way, was popularized at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904. Visitors from America and abroad delighted in this fun and easy way to eat ice cream. And in the 1950s, the folks at Betty Crocker used the cones as a container for cake! |
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Well, the Ninja Baker has added a New Millennium twist to the venerable ice cream cone cake. A gluten-free version.Click here for the original Betty Crocker recipe. Substitute your best gluten-free and dairy-free concoctions in a vegan ice cream cone. (Found at Whole Foods and other health-oriented markets.) My base was the Lemon Coconut Muffin from Gluten-Free Baking Classics. And the dairy-free vanilla frosting from the BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly) Gluten-Free, and (Mostly) Sugar-Free Recipes. Anne Bym has also joined the gluten-free bandwagon with her most recent cookbook The Cake Mix Doctor Bakes Gluten-Free. (All the aforementioned cookbooks are available under Shop/My Favorites at NinjaBaking.com) |
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My copy of the original The Cake Mix Doctor has many pages turned down at the corner reminding me to reuse the recipes. Like the one which recommends using two cups of ice cream. Per the Cake Doctor’s suggestion, I’ve used Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia several times and received rave reviews.
This time I tried green tea ice cream. To my taste buds, the flavor got lost in translation. Next time, I’ll add powdered matcha green tea. Probably a tablespoon or two. Still, the cake was light and nice. Also, the last minute decision to add chocolate chips was a good one. Coating the chips in matcha powder so they wouldn’t sink to the bottom of the cake was a winning choice, too. |
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If you’re tuckered out or the countdown to dinner is restricting baking time, mini ice cream pies are your saving grace. Simply fill premade mini graham cracker or chocolate crusts with ice cream. Rainbow sprinkles (always a winner with little ones), chocolate chips or grated chocolate are an easy garnish. And as always a wisp of Cool Whip, Reddi-wip or the real stuff are nice. However you choose to partake of the world-popular dessert, I agree with classic American theater playwright, Thornton Wilder’s philosophy. “My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy your ice cream while it's on your plate.” |
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Wishing you summer days filled with sweetness and scrumptious ice cream desserts. |
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The Ninja Baker
© Watkinson 2012 |
The Ninja Baker's recipes are also available on: |
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