to layer / stir through

150g dark chocolate chips

100g sponge fingers, e.g. savoiardi

100ml coffee liqueur, e.g. Kahlua

200ml strong black coffee

to serve

[optional: cocoa powder, sieved]

method

1. Brew the coffee and set aside to cool.
2. Make each ice cream by whisking their ingredients together in separate bowls. If using cottage cheese, you will need to use a masher to remove all the lumps. The coffee mixture will be runny, the mascarpone firm. If you like to mix in your chocolate chips rather than layer them, do so now.
3. Pour the cooled coffee into a shallow dish and mix in the coffee liqueur.
4. Arrange large scoops of the mascarpone ice cream into the bottom of a tall loaf tin. Pour the coffee mixture over to fill in the gaps, but keeping level with the top of the mascarpone. Briefly soak each sponge finger into the coffee and liqueur mix, allowing excess liquid to fall back into the dish. You want the fingers to be soaked through but not falling apart. Layer the fingers over the ice cream in the tin, then scatter over some chocolate chips.
5. Repeat until the mixtures are used up. Cover with cling film and leave to freeze for 6 hours or overnight.
6. To serve, remove the tin for 10-15 minutes, depending on the strength of your freezer, then pour boiled water over a thin spatula to gently separate the ice cream cake from the edges of the tin. Turn out the cake by first submersing the bottom of the tin in hot water very briefly, then turning out on to a flat plate. Pour boiled water over a bread knife to help you cut the cake into slices – some elbow grease may be necessary to get through the hard centre. Serve with a dusting of cocoa if desired.

note

This recipe is like crack. It’s a combination of my tiramisu recipe with my IBS hero, ice cream (no one believes me, but it helps me! The frozen goodness soothes my inflamed guts!), adapted liberally from Benjamina Ebuehi. In my version, creams are replaced with sweet cheeses to add depth and a touch of tang. As a result, the mascarpone ice will have a thick consistency and thus freeze into something a little stiffer than conventional ice cream, but this will also allow it to keep its structure and not mix with the coffee ice cream. If you prefer something smoother, refer to Ebuehi’s recipe above or try replace a little of the condensed milk with glucose syrup – if at room temperature, the mixture is runny, it should freeze into that familiar ice cream consistency.