Last Friday was National Gum Drop Day, another in the long, often times puzzling, list of made up food holidays. I thought I had an idea for this one. I really did. I did not. While working on the Peco Brittle (peanut-coconut brittle) a few weeks back, I remembered something else my friends mother used to make that I thought was delicious: Gumdrop Cake. As I recall, it was a simple chocolate cake baked in a square pan, studded throughout with gumdrops and slicked with a simple chocolate icing. I seem to remember I liked it. I think I was wrong. It is horrid. And it kind of threw me off my game for a few weeks.
In all fairness, it could have been user error. I could have made it incorrectly, used a bad recipe or just colossally screwed up but there is just something downright weird about coming across an oddly flavored, chewy nubbin in what should be an otherwise decent chocolate cake. To be frank, it is incredibly unpleasant. In another what the hell was I thinking moment, I made a far too fancy and unnecessarily indulgent icing. A chocolate sour cream ganache is all kinds of wrong for this type of thing but in a glass half full moment, a sort of beautiful mistake came out of this. The cake was crap – I do not recommend – but the fancy icing held a glimmer of potential.
I made it twice, I should know. The first time, the icing was far too soft and never really firmed up but it was delicious so I shoved it in the refrigerator and tried again. When I decided to ditch the cake idea after the second attempt, happily throwing it in the garbage where it rightfully belonged, I ate a spoonful of that rejected icing sitting in the fridge. Hmmmmm. I had an idea. Into a pot with some cream, gently heated until smooth and wouldn’t you know it, I had an ice cream base. Let’s see if this works, shall we?
It does. Oh boy, does it ever. I made it twice just to make sure. Rich, chocolatey with a bit of tang and a hint of bitterness … hot damn. It’s not overly sweet and reminds me a little of an upscale fudgesicle. It’s really great with a bit of caramelized cocoa nibs and served alongside something sweeter, like a piece of cake (a good one please, no gumdrops). From the wreckage of a truly awful cake came something wonderful. A beautiful reject.
STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: OH HAPPY SALVAGED MESS. It really stinks when you spend time and money on something that is just terrible. Makes you question everything: your skills, your judgment, your damn memory (did I really like this once??) It’s even worse when you do it twice. No need to get so upset though; it happens. But ion the sunny side of things, it is pretty wonderful to salvage even just a piece of something disastrous. A triumph! And let me tell you, this ice cream is a delicious happy accident.
other great chocolate ice creams: St. John Dark Chocolate Ice Cream (holy moly, this one is incredible), Chocolate Mint Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Swirl Ice Cream
ten years ago: Khachpuri (cheesy Georgian bread)
nine years ago: Won Ton Soup, Fancy Valentine’s Day Cookies, Stovetop Smoked Salmon, Blood Orange Marmalade
eight years ago: Mexican Hot Chocolate, Chocolate Churros, Dark Chocolate Tart, Chocolate Ganache Tart, Chocolate Cabernet Sauce
seven years ago: St. John Dark Chocolate Ice Cream, Chocolate Dulce de Leche Swirl Ice Cream, Double Chocolate Alfajores, Chocolate Malt Pots de Crème, Baked Cheddar Olives, Whatchamacallit Brownies
six years ago: Chocolate Pear Clafouti, Peppermint Patty Brownies, Chocolate Raspberry Tart, Chocolate Snack Cake, Chocolate Cherry Buns, Chocolate Pudding Cake
five years ago: Chocolate Linzer Cookies, Dulce de Leche Fondue, Buckwheat Blini, Chocolate Crème Filled Cupcakes
four years ago: Flourless Chocolate Cookies
three years ago: Bourbon Pecan Chocolate Cheesecake Brownies, Orange Chocolate Angel Food Cake with Candied Clementines, Dark Chocolate Tapioca Pudding, Chocolate Banana Bread, Chocolate Mint Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches, Mexican Chocolate Poundcake, Toum and Lamb Chops (Lebanese Garlic Spread)
two years ago: Chocolate Cardamom Shortbread Hearts, Dark Chocolate Marshmallows, Dark Chocolate Pudding, Triple Chocolate Cream Puffs, Chocolate Fleur de Sel Caramels, Chocolate Cherry Financier
last year: Haitian Poulet Creole, West African Puff Puffs, Ethiopian Doro Wat (Spicy Chicken Stew)
BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE SOUR CREAM ICE CREAM
Makes 1 quart
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (at least 60% cacao), finely chopped
1 ½ cups heavy cream
pinch of kosher salt
1 cup/8 ounces full fat sour cream
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Place the chopped chocolate in a bowl and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, bring the cream and salt just to a boil.
- Pour over the chocolate, cover with a piece of plastic wrap and give the bowl a shake or two to fully submerge the chocolate. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Remove the plastic and whisk until smooth. If the chocolate hasn’t fully melted, microwave in 30 second bursts at 50% power or place over a double boiler and gently heat until smooth.
- Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla until combined.
- Chill over an ice bath to cool down then refrigerate for several hours until very cold. Do not refrigerate longer than 2 hours as the mixture will thicken as it sits.
- Process in your ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
- Transfer to a freezer container and let temper in the freezer overnight.
STRESSCAKE 
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