Better Late

 

The early bird catches the worm.

Better late than never.

Old (ancient, actually) sayings with a valid point to make.

Well, let me just say now that I'm not really interested in first dibs on any worms. Early, late, or anywhere in between.

But lilacs? Now that's a different story. And it's through lilacs that I've come to tweak "better late than never," to just plain "better late." Because, it turns out, late is a great way to get the best of both worlds.

I love lilacs and, if you go by the number of lilac trees you see up and down the streets of our neighborhood, I'm hardly alone. It's not just their beauty, but their unmistakable floral scent. My lilacs are just outside the window in my stairwell, and when the window is open, and they're in bloom, I can smell them before I see them.

Lilacs have come to represent spring, as they bloom early. Well, everyone's but mine, that is. 

Most people who I know have lilac trees. I don't. When we were adding to our landscaping, I found some lilac shrubs. I hadn't heard of them before, but I fell in love. We planted the little bushes along the west side of our house and hoped for the best.

At first I was disappointed. Early spring came along and everyone's lilac trees were blooming. But not my little shrubs. I do have a neighbor who knows that I love lilacs and every year when her lilac tree blooms she brings me a bouquet.

Eventually my lilac bushes bloomed. And grew. And grew. 

I don't know if it's that they're shrubs and not trees. I don't know if it's the side of the house where we planted them. I do know this, every year Lisa brings me a bouquet in the early spring. Which makes me so happy because all I have along the side of my house is big, bushy, but totally green shrubs.

I'm almost always on time, and I tend, by nature, to be an impatient person. But not with the lilacs.

Because then, when everyone else's lilacs have ceased to bloom, I get flowers. Lots and lots of flowers. 

Turns out, late is so much better.

Spring is also a time for ice cream. After a long, cold winter, this treat makes its debut again around my house as soon as the heat gets turned off. Lately, I've been making a lot of ice cream, ice cream pies, and this ice cream cake.

Strawberry Fudge Ice Cream Cake

I took the first picture in this post just as I'd unmolded and decorated the frozen cake. This second picture though, well, taking pictures, getting it just how you want it, takes time. And in that time, ice cream does what ice cream does, it melts.

The picture may have come out a little meltier than I would have liked, as pictures go, it was taken a little later in the whole photography process. But I happen to like my ice cream a little melty.

So . . . better late . . . 

Strawberry Fudge Ice Cream Cake         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 (48 oz) container strawberry ice cream

1 jar (about 12 oz) hot fudge sauce

6 strawberry sandwich cookies

6 chocolate sandwich cookies

1/4 cup strawberry jam

2 fresh strawberries

OPT: fresh sliced strawberries for garnish

Directions:
*Using a large piece of plastic wrap, cover the insides of a loaf pan, allowing the ends of the wrap to fall outside of the pan (to assist in removing later).

*Place about 2 cups of the ice cream in a large bowl on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften. Chop the strawberry sandwich cookies.

*Mix the chopped cookies into the ice cream, spread into the bottom of the prepared pan and freeze for 30 minutes.

*Remove 2 TBSP fudge sauce and set aside. Spread half of the remaining sauce over the ice cream layer in the pan and freeze for 1/2 hour.

*Place another 2 cups of the ice cream in a large bowl on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften. Chop the chocolate cookies.

*Mix the chopped chocolate cookies into the softened ice cream, spread onto the fudge layer and freeze for 30 minutes.

*Spread the other half of the remaining fudge sauce over the ice cream layer in the pan and freeze for 1/2 hour.

*Place the last of the ice cream in a large bowl on the counter for about 10 minutes to soften. Hull the strawberries and chop.

*Mix the strawberries and the strawberry jam into the ice cream and spread into the pan. Freeze until hard frozen, its best to freeze overnight.

*Run a knife between the plastic wrap and the pan. Use the overlapping plastic wrap to help you remove the ice cream cake from the pan. 

*Garnish with fresh strawberries, if desired, drizzle with the reserved fudge sauce. 

*Wrap any remaining cake and store in freezer.