My January Cooking Challenge

My husband's birthday is in January. This year, it is Friday the 13th. His poor birthday often gets lost in the shuffle since it is so soon after the holidays and everyone is tired off all the food and dessert. He will be 31 this year. (It always takes him about 6 months to catch up with me. ;) Slow poke.)

I have been on a cooking spree as of late. Lots and lots and lots of new recipes thanks to Pinterest. Anywho, I asked him if there was something that I could make for him. His response, "A Wendy's Frosty Cake. Consider it a challenge."

And so it shall be.

I set out to create.

We've been making homemade "Wendy's" frostys around here since we were in grad school. The thing is that they are a little melty, like they should be, in order to use a straw to suck them up. A little kitchen experiment was needed to see if they would freeze up to allow for slicing later on. I was thinking something like the Dairy Queen ice cream cake but without the frosting layer (we are a Cool Whip free home).

I made up a chocolate cookie crust with little chocolate cookies from Trader Joe's.

I made a thick homemade fudge sauce (recipe courtesy of my momma).

I made "frosty" ice cream using fat free vanilla ice cream and coco powder and milk. (I usually make our frostys in the bender but due to the increased amount I used my mixer.)

I layered everything up, stuck it in the freezer, crossed my fingers and did a little tiny please-freeze-and-taste-good-and-don't-fall-completely-apart-and-hold-a-candle-or-two dance and went to bed for the night.

  
Editor's note: I didn't get great photos due to a tiny person hanging on my pant leg while I was cooking and the same tiny person screaming in their highchair while it was being served. It was a whirlwind of a birthday meal but the "Frosty Cake" was DELICIOUS! Really, how can you ever go wrong with homemade chocolate fudge sauce.

  

"Wendy's" Frosty Cake Recipe 

I made mine to fit in a 9x9 pan 

Easily could be doubled for thicker dessert in a 9x13

Crust layer:
3 1/2 c. Crushed chocolate cookies (I used low fat chocolate animal cookies from Trader Joe's)

6 T melted butter

1/8 cup sugar

Ice Cream Layer:

3 1/2 c. vanilla ice cream (I used fat free Breyer's)

8 T Nestle Nesquik Powder

1/2 c. skim milk

Chocolate Sauce Layer:

1/2 c semisweet chocolate chips

3 T butter

1/2 c powdered sugar

6 oz evaporated milk (3/4 c.)

1/2 t. vanilla

Crust: combine ingredients and press into 9x9 pan and set in freezer for 15-20 minutes.

Ice Cream Layer: Combine ingredients and use blender or mixer to mix until soft and combined. Layer on top of cookie crust and return to freezer. 

Chocolate Sauce: Melt chocolate chips and butter. Add powdered sugar and evaporated milk. Cook and stir 15 minutes or until slightly thickened. Stir in vanilla. Cool sauce completely and then pour over ice cream layer. Freeze until firm.

YUM!!