Berry sweet ice-cream cake

yipeee my camera is fixed and I can't wait to start using it again! this was sadly taken with my phone :-( but it's not too bad!

Like I posted on my facebook... I really did make an incredibly delectable dessert for our countries birthday (really I did!!! lol just posting a little late, my apologies :-(...)
I saw this ice-cream cake on Annie's eats and fell in love with it and just had to try it! and it did not disappoint! There were some changes I made to the recipe but all in all this was a keeper. My cake did not look anything like her perfect beautiful cake did! but no one can say I didn't try ;-)
I am lazy...there I said it! and when I read that she had made her own vanilla cake (she must be related to super woman or drinks a ton of those 5hr energy drinks!!!) I gasped and choked at the thought of spending an extra 2 hours (that's how long it takes me to make a cake from scratch...mostly me mumbling under my breath seething with impatience...yes I am both lazy and impatient...lol)
anyways I do like a challenge and one day I will try this the original way, one day when I don't have to take breaks for screaming fighting siblings.
I used a french vanilla cake mix, I did find that the strawberry sauce froze too quickly  and felt like a watery popsicle when I bit into it. so next time I might try cooking the strawberries the same way as the blueberries who somehow managed to stay thick and sweet.
Also I would not advise freezing this cake overnight, again due to the problem above, but again it might have been something I did.
I Made the cake (for the completely from scratch or the super woman version as I like to call it click here)the evening before, while the cakes were baking I made the two sauces. I let the cakes cool and assembled the full cake and covered it and returned it to the freezer...I left it there overnight (I again do not advise this) I made the whipped cream frosting and frosted the cake as quickly as I could...remember it's ice-cream and will melt fast especially if you are in Florida! lol
The whipped cream really does work great, I frosted the base coating (or on regular cakes the crumb layer) and then returned the cake to the freezer for 5min (return the frosting to the fridge). I continued to apply layers until I got the desired thickness. the whipped cream worked really well with the pastry bag it's just me who lacks the skill with it...hence the disfigured "flowers" ;-) I know practice, practice and again practice...but if I have to eat all those practice cakes I would weigh a ton!
at last I put the fresh berries on top of the cake and voila!
I did not let the cake stand for 20min at room temperature, if I had i would've had one big sloppy mess (Florida remember!?)

Here's my attempt to this lovely dessert, hope you like it!:

Berry Sweet Ice Cream Cake

For the cake:

1 pkg french vanilla cake mix

For the blueberry sauce:

1 cup blueberries
3 tbsp. sugar
1¼ tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. cold water
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

For the strawberry sauce:

4 oz. strawberries, hulled, rinsed and coarsely chopped
1½ tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

2½ cups vanilla bean ice cream, slightly softened (homemade or store-bought)

For the whipped cream frosting:

2 cups heavy cream
½ cup confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Fresh strawberries and blueberries, for garnish

Directions:To make the cake, preheat the oven to 350˚ F.  Line the bottom of two 8-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.  Grease and flour the sides of the pan, shaking out the excess.

follow directions on cake mix box, divide the batter into two 8" cake pans.

bake in preheated oven rotating the pans halfway through, until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20-22 minutes.  Let cool in the pans about 10 minutes, then gently run a knife around the edge of the cake and turn the layers out onto a wire rack.  Remove the parchment paper and allow to cool completely.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill the cake layers until you are ready to assemble the cake.

To make the blueberry sauce, combine the blueberries and sugar in a nonreactive saucepan over medium-high heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until the berries begin to release their juices.  In a small bowl combine the cornstarch with the water and lemon juice and whisk until smooth.  Stir the cornstarch mixture into the blueberry mixture.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 minute more.  Remove from the heat.  Cover and chill.

To make the strawberry sauce, combine the strawberries and sugar in a bowl.  Toss well to combine.  Mash the berries slightly with the tines of a fork.  Stir in the lemon juice, cover and chill.  Let the berries macerate at least one hour and if needed, mash once more to achieve your desired texture.

To assemble the cake, level the cake layers if necessary.  Place one of the chilled cake rounds in the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan.  Place a piece of parchment or wax paper around the circumference of the cake to act as a tight collar for the ice cream layer.  Be sure the ice cream is soft enough to spread smoothly and easily before proceeding.  Spread the vanilla ice cream in an even layer over the bottom cake layer.

Spoon the blueberry and strawberry fillings on top of the ice cream in whatever pattern you prefer.  (You may have a bit of each type of filling left over.  I dare you to not eat it with a spoon!)  Place the remaining cake layer on top of the ice cream and fruit filling.  Ensure that the parchment collar is pulled tight around the cake and ice cream to keep the layers evenly in place.  Close the sides of the springform around the assembled cake and transfer to the freezer to set.  (Covering the cake at this point is not really necessary but if you plan to wait a long time before finishing the cake, I recommend covering it.)

When you are ready to frost the cake, place the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whip on medium-high speed, gradually adding the confectioners’ sugar, until stiff peaks form.  (Be careful not to overbeat!)  Blend in the vanilla.  Remove the sides of the springform pan carefully and peel away the parchment collar.  Frost the top and side of the cake with an offset or straight spatula.  Place the remaining whipped cream in a pastry bag fitted with a decorative tip and add additional accents as desired. (I used an unlabeled large fine star tip, similar to an Ateco #864 tip.)  Garnish with fresh strawberries and blueberries.  (The cake can be served at this point if desired.)

Store the cake covered in the freezer until ready to serve.  Set the cake out and let stand at room temperature about 20 minutes before slicing.  Run a long, thin knife until hot water to warm the blade.  Wipe the blade completely dry and slice the cake, wiping the blade clean between slices and rewarming as needed.

*The parchment collar is not a necessity but I prefer it for cleaner edges of the ice cream layer.  It also helps in the situation that your cake rounds are not exactly the same size as your springform pan, and if your entire cake is taller than your springform (it likely will be).

adapted from annies eats blueberry sauce adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz, vanilla bean cake adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride