Lemon icebox cake with vanilla ice cream 'frosting'

Name: Lemon icebox cake with vanilla ice cream 'frosting' recipe
Yield: 16
Ingredients: 4 eggs; 1 cup (220g) caster sugar; 500g sour cream; 1 cup (250ml) grapeseed oil; 2 tsp vanilla extract; Zest & juice of 2 lemons; 1 cup (325g) thick lemon curd; 250g fine semolina; 1 cup (100g) almond meal; 1/2 cup (75g) plain flour; 1 1/2 tsp baking powder; 2L vanilla ice cream, slightly softened; Gold sprinkles, to serve; 300g caster sugar; 100g liquid glucose syrup; 2 tbs runny honey; 20g bicarbonate of soda, sifted; Juice of 3 lemons; 1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar; 1/2 cup (125ml) limoncello

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by Georgina Esdaile

Food Editor

Nov 02, 2021

Make the cake up to 2 days in advance, then spread the ice cream over the top of the cake four hours before serving (you don’t want the cake to be frozen solid, just chilled). You will need a sugar thermometer.

4 eggs
1 cup (220g) caster sugar
500g sour cream
1 cup (250ml) grapeseed oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
Zest & juice of 2 lemons
1 cup (325g) thick lemon curd
250g fine semolina
1 cup (100g) almond meal
1/2 cup (75g) plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2L vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
Gold sprinkles, to serve

Honeycomb

300g caster sugar
100g liquid glucose syrup
2 tbs runny honey
20g bicarbonate of soda, sifted

Limoncello syrup

Juice of 3 lemons
1/2 cup (110g) caster sugar
1/2 cup (125ml) limoncello

Method

1.

For the honeycomb, line a baking tray with baking paper. Place sugar, glucose, honey and 2 tbs water in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil and cook until mixture starts to colour around edges, and reaches 152°C-156°C on a sugar thermometer. Whisk in bicarb and a pinch of salt. Quickly pour onto prepared tray and set aside for 30 minutes or until set and completely cool.
2.

Preheat oven to 170°C. Grease a 20cm x 30cm lamington pan and line with a piece of baking paper leaving an overhang on the long sides. Whisk eggs and sugar in a bowl. Place sour cream, oil, vanilla, lemon zest and curd in another bowl, and whisk until combined. Whisk in egg mixture. Add semolina, almond meal, flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt flakes. Whisk until just combined. Stir in lemon juice. Pour into prepared pan and bake for 1 hour or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
3.

For the syrup, combine lemon juice and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer for 2 minutes until slightly thickened, then remove from heat and add the limoncello.
4.

Using a thin skewer, make little holes all over the cake. Pour hot syrup over the hot cake and set aside to cool completely.
5.

Four hours before serving, spread ice cream over the top of the cooled cake. Return to the freezer and freeze for four hours or until ice cream has set.
6.

Break honeycomb into shards (store leftover in a sealed plastic sandwich bag in the freezer). Scatter honeycomb and gold sprinkles over cake, to serve.