Strawberry Ice Cream Brownie Cake

I was in charge of dessert at a big family gathering, and I had the CUTEST idea to make brownie cupcakes (I saw it on a darling food blog). 

Yep. It was a complete DISASTER!! They seriously imploded while they cooked. I don't know WHAT happened. But I was feeling a little bit of pressure to come up with something outstanding, cute, and delicious for this party...and time was running out.

So, I improvised. I used my sister-in-law's DELICIOUS brownie recipe (why haven't I posted this before now?). Then I covered it in softened strawberry ice cream. Finally, I topped it with a simple chocolate ganache and fresh strawberries. 

Guess what.  IT WAS A HIT! Relief. 

{STRAWBERRY ICE CREAM BROWNIE CAKE}

Brownies:

1 c. melted margarine

4 eggs
1/3 c. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. sugar
1 ½ c. flour
1 tsp. vanilla

Blend all ingredients together. Prepare a large jelly roll pan (I call it a cookie sheet) by spraying it EXTRA well. (I lined mine with wax paper and it made serving extremely difficult). Pour batter into pan and cook at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes. Watch it closely so you don't overbake!

Allow to cool COMPLETELY. And then stick in your freezer for about 20-30 minutes to harden. 

Strawberry Ice Cream:

1 gallon of strawberry ice cream (I bought 2 half gallons)

Allow ice cream to soften on your counter for about 10 minutes. Pour into large bowl and mix with a large wooden spoon. Spread softened ice cream on your frozen brownies until it is completely covered. 

Put the ice cream cake back in the freezer for at least 1-2 hours. 

Chocolate Ganache:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup heavy cream

Fresh Strawberries, sliced

Place the chocolate chips in a small bowl. Bring the cream to a simmer in a small saucepan. Pour the cream evenly over the chocolate, let stand for 1 minute. Stir until smooth with a rubber spatula. If the ganache is too thin, allow it to stand at room temperature to cool and become more easily spreadable. Once the ganache is thick but still pourable, scoop it by the teaspoonful on top of the ice cream cupcakes and spread over the tops. Garnish with fresh strawberry slices.