Welcome to How To Cook That: Creating the Fault in Our Stars Ice Cream Cake

Today, we're excited to share with you a unique and delicious dessert recipe that's perfect for fans of The Fault in Our Stars. After receiving hundreds of requests, we've decided to bring this cake to life, and it's going to be an ice cream cake! What makes this cake so special is that it can be made up to a month ahead and kept in the freezer, eliminating any stress right before your party.

To begin, let's make a soft ganache. To do this, you'll need to melt together some cream and chocolate. You can do this either in a microwave or over a double boiler. I'm using a mix of milk and dark chocolate, which is how I like my ganache. For all the recipe quantities, please visit our recipe blog post on howtocookthat.net, where you'll find a link to this week's recipe blog post.

Once you've melted your chocolate and cream together, keep stirring it until it becomes silky smooth. Now, place that in a plastic bag, seal it, and spread the ganache out so that it will cool down quickly. To make this even more delicious, choose six of your favorite chocolate bars and chop them into small pieces. I'm using Mars, Boost, and Caramello – feel free to use whatever chocolate bars you have where you are. If you've chosen sticky caramel chocolates, be sure to pull the pieces apart so that they don't form one big blob.

As we move on to making our ice cream cake, let's talk a bit about the emotional connection we all have with The Fault in Our Stars. I must confess that I haven't seen the movie – I think it would make me cry too much! Both of my husbands' parents died from cancer, and one of my immediate family members has just gone through surgery and chemotherapy this year. While they're doing really well, I don't want to put myself through that movie right now. But for all you fans out there, let's talk about the book – did you cry when you read it? Did you cry when you went to see the movie?

Now, let's get started on making our ice cream cake! You'll need a tub of your favorite ice cream, which can be either store-bought or homemade. If you choose to make your own, feel free to experiment with different flavors and ingredients. For this recipe, we're using a simple vanilla ice cream. Simply leave the ice cream out for hours or microwave it on high for 30 seconds until it's softened. Take out all the softened bits and then microwave it again – we don't want our ice cream completely liquid and melted; we just want it softened.

Once you've 3/4 of your ice cream bowl, add in your chocolate pieces and stir them through well. Now, take a container that's shaped like the one you want your ice cream cake to be (round and tall looks best) and pour it all in. Grab the ganache we made earlier, cut the corner off the bag, and squirt some into the container. Use a spatula to gently fold it through – if you over-mix it, you'll end up with chocolate ice cream, which is not what we're after. We want streaks of ganache in our slices.

To add more ganache, pour some extra onto the cake, followed by some additional ice cream on top and folding it through. This will help keep the cake softer and easier to cut at the end. Repeat this process until you reach the top of your cake. If you want to get fancy, you can add a brownie or cake base – but for this recipe, I'm opting for an all-ice cream design.

While our cake is in the freezer firming up (at least 4 hours, or overnight would be ideal), let's move on to making the decoration. You'll need to print out the book cover and cut out the clouds. If you visit our recipe blog post this week, I've actually included a PDF version of the template that you can print out from there.

To make your clouds roll out some black fondant and cut around the template. Always remember to buy black fondant instead of trying to make it – trust me, it's worth the extra effort! For the white part of the cloud, don't cut it exactly like the top; instead, cut it so that it looks like a full cloud.

A little-known fact about John Green, the author of The Fault in Our Stars, is that he's also a YouTube personality. He runs the popular YouTube channel vlogbrothers with his brother Hank.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enWelcome to How To Cook That I am Ann ReardonToday after 100's of requests, I've heardyou, we are going to make a Fault in Our Starscake.And this one is an ice cream cake and thegreat thing about that is you can make itup to a month ahead and keep it in the freezerso there's no stress right before your party.The first thing we are going to do is makea soft ganache, to do that melt together youcream and chocolate, you can do that in amicrowave or over a double boiler.I am using a mix of milk and dark chocolatewhich is how I like my ganache.For all the recipe quantities go to this weeksrecipe blog post on howtocookthat.net thereis a link in the description just below thisvideo.Keep stirring it until is is silky smooth.Then place that in a plastic bag, seal itand spread the ganache out so that it willcool down quickly.To make this even more delicious choose 6of your favourite chocolate bars and chopthem into small pieces.I am using mars, boost and caramello.I know you get different chocolate bars allover the world so you choose what you havewhere you are.I must confess I haven't seen the Fault inOur Stars movie, I think it would make mecry too much.Both of my husbands parents died from cancer.And one of my immediate family members hasjust gone through surgery and chemo this year,but they're doing really well but I just don'twant to put myself through that movie rightnow.If you have chosen sticky caramel chocolates,pull the pieces apart so you don't just haveone big blob.And what do you think did you cry when youread the book?Did you cry when you went to the movie?It's pretty sad.Anyway next we of course want some ice cream,you can make your won or you can just buya big tub but we are going to need it to besoftened.You can leave it out for hours or microwaveon high for 30 seconds.Take out all the softened bits and then microwaveit again.We don't want it completely liquid and meltedwe just want it softened.Once you have 3/4 of the ice cream your bowlthen add you chocolates and stir them throughwell.Now take a container the shape you want yourice cream cake to be, round and tall looksbest and then pour it all in.Grab the ganache that we made earlier, cutthe corner off the bag and squirt some in.Use a spatula to gently fold it through, ifyou over-mix it here you'll get chocolateice-cream which is not what we're after youwant streaks of ganache in your slices.Add some more ganache then add some extraice cream on top and fold it through.Adding this extra ice-cream helps keep thecake softer so it is going to be easier tocut at the end.Repeat that adding enough ice-cream to getit right to the top.If you want to here you can add brownie orcake base, but I am opting to keep it allice cream.Smooth the base off and then put that in thefreezer to firm up for at least 4 hours, overnightwould be ideal.While it is in the freezer we can make thedecoration to go on top.You'll need to print out the book cover andcut out the clouds.If you go to this weeks recipe blog post I'veactually put a pdf in the size I am usinghere so you can print it out from there.To make our clouds roll out some black fondantand cut around the template.As always i suggest you buy black fondantrather than trying to make it so you don'tend up with grey.Now for the white cut around the cloud shapebut don't cut the top the exact shape cutit like it out like it's a full cloud.And did you know that the Fault in our Starsauthor John Green is actually youtuber?He runs the youtube channel vlogbrothers withhis brother Hank.\"OK Hank I just did all of those press interviewsand now I'm going to the movie, look, look,look, look that's the movie.The reviews have been amazing and accordingto rotten tomatoes 93% of people who've seenit liked it so just real quickly.Yeeeeehsss\".The two of them are also behind a bunch ofother youtube channels and they also startedvidcon these guys are busy.Now mark just above where the cloud edge isso you've got a guide to where it has to go.Then add the black could back on top.For the words put some black and white fondantinto two bowls and mix each with a littlebit of water, now you are not going to needmuch here.But you do need to squash it down using theback of the spoon and keep doing that so thatyou can get the fondant to mix with the waterand get out all the lumps, because you needit totally smooth for piping.Place it into a plastic bag and push it allinto one corner and twist the top so it doesn'tspill out.Then cut off a tiny corner and check you canpipe a nice line like this.Then starting with the white pipe on the questionmark.\"It's a good life Hazel Grace, okay?\"\"Okay\"Then the Y, A, K and of course O.And then repeat that without the questionmark in the black onto the white cloud.Now just leave that uncovered at room temperatureto firm up.Fill you sink with hot tap water and placeyour ice cream container into it.We just want to melt a small layer on theoutside so that we can get it out of the container.Place some foil on the bench to make it easierto clean up the mess and tip over your container.You are going to need to use a knife to createa small channel on one side so the air canget in, otherwise you've got a vacuum andyou won't be able to get it out.Let the melted ice cream drip off the sidesand then transfer it onto your serving plateand put it back in the freezer to firm upthat outside layer again that will take atleast an hour.Now to make our tifios blue whip togetheryour cream and blue food colouring.You can also add a little icing sugar to sweetenit if you like.Things taste less sweet when they are frozenso keep that in mind and make it a littlesweeter than you're after.You don't want to over-whip your cream ifyou do it will start to turn to butter andgo lumpy, so whip it until it is just softbut holds its shape.Pile 3/4 of the cream on top and then spreadit so it goes over the sides and then smoothit around the sides.You need to work as quickly as you can hereobviously or your ice cream is going to melt.And then place the ice cream back into thefreezer for an hour or so, so that that layercan firm up and put the remaining cream inthe fridge.It doesn't matter if it not exactly perfectat this stage because we are going to addthe extra cream and smooth it in a minute.Now that's firm on the outside we can spreadsome of the extra cream like I said over thetop and get a nice smooth cake shape.I am using an icing comb to put a patternaround the edge of the cake, and you do thatjust by placing it on the side, resting iton the base of the plate and spinning theplate around.If you don't have one you can just use a knifeto put a pattern or leave it smooth it isup to you.Take the rest of your cream and put it intoa piping bag fitted with a star shaped tipand pipe around the edge.Just squeeze, stop and pull up, squeeze, stopand pull up and keep that going the wholeway around.Repeat that around the top edge too so youhave a nice defined circle.Then you guessed it put it back in the freezerto firm up again.On party day take the cake out of the freezer,peel the non-stick baking paper off the backof the fondant and place your logo on thetop of the ice-cream cake in the middle.If you are making your ice cream cakes aheadof time then make sure once the cream hasfirmed up that you double coat it in plasticwrap so that it doesn't dry out.To cut an ice-cream cake you will need twosharp knives and a jug of hot water, and youhave the two so you can swap one into thehot water while you are cutting with the other.Cut out a slice and then serve it up.You get the ice-cream mixed with these reallynice chunks of chocolate ganache and chocolatebars mixed all through it, it's very richand decadent.If you haven't already make sure you subscribeto how to cook that for more cakes, chocolateand desserts.Put all your requests in the comments belowand don't forget to thumbs up and share.Have a great week and I'll see you on Friday.[music: The Boat Song by youtube.com/setsailtvused with permission]\n"