Summer and easy just seem to go together, don't they? Okay, maybe not in our writing lives, but we'll take it in the kitchen.
Click for Free Recipe PDF. |
Our "Melted Gelato Sheet Cake" is a fun cake to make for picnics, cookouts, and snacking. You can either frost it or do what we do: simply serve it with whipped cream or ice cream, a sprinkling of chopped nuts, and maybe even some fresh fruit.
The cake is incredibly easy to make (no baking skills needed!) and it's highly versatile. You can experiment with your favorite flavors of gelato. And I suggest a few fun alternate ideas for cake flavors in the recipe...
So let's start baking!
To download our recipe now in a PDF document, click here.
To see the rest of this post and its foodie photos, scroll down or click here or on the Read More link below.
Cleo Coyle writes two bestselling mystery series with her husband. To learn more, click here. |
A Recipe Note from Cleo
Versions of the "melted ice cream" cake have been around for some time. Years ago, ABC News even published a recipe.
I always wondered if this recipe would turn out well with gelato. Unlike ice cream, Italian gelato uses milk instead of cream, so it has much less butterfat, in some cases half the fat of ice cream, and yet the end product is denser than ice cream.
Well, I finally tested my idea on today's Pistachio Cake recipe, and not only was the cake easy to make, it was delicious, and here's why I can sing its praises.
Typically, a cake mix will require oil or butter to be added along with water. The gelato is about the same amount of calories as the oil or butter required, but it adds flavor as well as moisture and fat to your cake, so it's a real bonus when making a cake from a mix.
Even better, this method will work with any flavor gelato. The cake is rich and moist without being heavy. It's full of flavor and stores very well, and it tastes even better the second day. May you bake it with love and...
Eat with (summertime) joy!
~ Cleo
To download a free PDF
of this recipe that you can
print, save, or share, click here
of this recipe that you can
print, save, or share, click here
or on the image below...
Easy Melted Gelato Cake
by Cleo Coyle
Ingredients:
3 extra-large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 package white cake mix
1 pint pistachio gelato (*see my note below for other flavor ideas)
+ A little almond or nut milk or cow’s milk (see my recipe directions about why you need this...)
3/4 cup shelled and roughly chopped pistachios
+ 1/2 cup chopped pistachios for garnish
*Other Flavor Ideas: This recipe will work with any flavor gelato. You can experiment and have fun. Certainly, if you’re not using pistachio gelato, then don’t use chopped pistachios. Instead, add an ingredient that will boost the flavor, such as Lemon Zest for Lemon Gelato; Chopped Hazelnut for Chocolate-Hazelnut Gelato; Espresso Powder for Coffee Gelato; Chocolate Chips for Chocolate Gelato, etc. Note: If you're choosing a chocolate gelato, and you want a more powerful chocolate flavor, I would swap out the white cake mix for chocolate cake mix.
Directions:
Step 1 - Prep Oven and Pan: First preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly coat a 13 x 9-inch pan with non-stick spray or butter and flour it to prevent sticking. Set aside.
Step 2 - Melt Your Gelato: Completely melt 1 pint of gelato (for this cake I'm using pistachio gelato). You should have a little over 2 full cups of melted gelato. If you don’t, then pour in enough almond or hazelnut milk (or plain old regular cow’s milk) until the liquid in the measuring cup reaches a little over the 2-cup line.
Step 3 - Make Batter: Crack your extra-large eggs into a mixing bowl, add vanilla. Pour in melted gelato (and nut milk as described in Step 1) and add the white cake mix. Beat for 2 minutes. The batter will be thick. Fold in the chopped nuts (or whatever other flavor add-ins you're using).
Step 4 - Bake: Pour the cake batter into your sheet pan. Smooth the top with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
Bake the cake for about 35 to 40 minutes. Allow the cake to cool, slice into squares. Top with whipped cream or ice cream, sprinkle on chopped pistachios as a garnish (or use whatever add-ins complement your chosen flavor of gelato). This light summer cake also goes great with fresh fruit.
However you make it and serve it,
we hope you will eat with summertime joy!
Bulletproof Barista
To Buy:
Bulletproof Baristaincludes a killer menu
of delicious recipes!
Praise for Bulletproof Barista
"Cleo Coyle aims and hits readers right in the heart with this one. You definitely don’t want to miss out on BULLETPROOF BARISTA!" —Fresh Fiction
"Scads of red herrings, peeks behind the show-biz curtain, and bountiful appended recipes will leave fans smiling contentedly." —Kirkus Reviews
"This twentieth Coffeehouse mystery (after Honey Roasted) brings together the history of the shop, ripped-from-the-headlines plot elements, [and] the drama of on-site filming."—Booklist
New Paperback Edition!
Includes a mini guideto honey varietiesand a wonderful menuof delicious recipes...
Click here or on the image abovefor Cleo Coyle's Free IllustratedRecipe Guide to Honey Roasted
Bulletproof Barista
To Buy:
Bulletproof Barista
includes a killer menu
of delicious recipes!
of delicious recipes!
Praise for Bulletproof Barista
"Cleo Coyle aims and hits readers right in the heart with this one. You definitely don’t want to miss out on BULLETPROOF BARISTA!" —Fresh Fiction
"Scads of red herrings, peeks behind the show-biz curtain, and bountiful appended recipes will leave fans smiling contentedly." —Kirkus Reviews
"This twentieth Coffeehouse mystery (after Honey Roasted) brings together the history of the shop, ripped-from-the-headlines plot elements, [and] the drama of on-site filming."
—Booklist
New
Paperback Edition!
Includes a mini guide
to honey varieties
and a wonderful menu
of delicious recipes...
Click here or on the image above
for Cleo Coyle's Free Illustrated
Recipe Guide to Honey Roasted