Red Currant Bakery

Chocolate Cake
1 Preheat the oven to 350 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
2 In the bowl of a stand mixer, add in the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda, and cocoa powder. Whisk to combine.
3 Add in the egg, butter, sour cream, vanilla, and espresso. Beat with a mixer until just smooth.
4 Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
5 Spray the bottom 6" metal cake pan with your baking spray or line with a parchment round and then pour in the chocolate batter.
6 Smooth out the cake with a rubber spatula.Bake in the hot oven for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, rotate the cake 180 degrees and bake for another 10-12 minutes until the center is set and a toothpick comes out clean.
7 Once baked, remove the cake from the oven and leave it to cool for 15 minutes before removing from the cake pan. Remove the cake and leave it to cool completely on a cooling rack.
Brown Sugar Espresso Soak
9 In a heat safe mug or bowl, add in the dark brown sugar.
10 I like to pull my espresso shots directly over the brown sugar to start dissolving the sugar but if you made the espresso on the stove or in a coffee pot, simply pour it over the brown sugar. Stir to dissolve.
11 If you bought espresso at a coffee shop you'll need to get it hot again in order to dissolve the brown sugar.
12 Set aside to cool while you make the ice cream.
Vanilla & Chocolate Ice Cream
14 In a double boiler or in the microwave melt the chocolate. Set aside to cool slightly.
15 In a large mixing bowl, add in the sweetened condensed milk along with both vanillas, salt, and heavy cream. Whip on medium high if using a stand mixer or high if using a hand mixer until it stiffens. You won't be able to get super stiff peaks but it should hold lines and volume. This does take a while especially with a hand mixer.
16 Pour 475 grams into a separate bowl. Pour the cooled chocolate into the original bowl with the remaining ice cream base. Whip the chocolate into the ice cream base until smooth.
Assemble
18 Use a large serrated knife to level off the top of the cake. Then cut the cake in half into two layers.
19 Lay a piece of parchment paper on a flat tray or plate that will fit the cake and fit in your freezer.
20 Place the bottom chocolate cake layer on the parchment and then place the cake ring around the cake with the acetate ring between the cake and the cake ring/collar. Tighten until snug around the cake.
21 Use a pastry brush to brush the surface of the cake with a couple tablespoons of the espresso soak. Pour the remaining soak into a small baking dish or bowl that is just big enough to fit the lady fingers but not so big that it's not deep enough to actually soak the lady fingers.
22 Add 1/4 of each of the ice creams over the base layer of cake. Don't swirl too much because the lady fingers and layering will already cause them to swirl.
23 Soak one lady finger at a time for 3-5 seconds on each side and cover the layer of cream with them. For a 6" cake I used 4.5 lady fingers per layer.
24 Repeat with another layer of both ice creams. Then add on the second layer of cake, and repeat with soaking it, adding the ice creams, adding soaked lady fingers, and then finally the remaining ice cream.
25 Cover the surface with a sheet of plastic wrap. Place it in the freezer to set overnight or at least 10 hours.
Toppings 
27 I like to make both a chocolate ganache and meringue for the top but you can absolutely just pick one or go super simple and dust the top with cocoa powder.
28 If topping with chocolate ganache, add the chopped chocolate into a medium heat safe bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a pot or the microwave until just steaming hot, not boiling.
29 Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, cover with a lid and let it sit for 1 minute. After a minute has passed, remove the lid and whisk slowly until smooth. Let it sit to cool for at least 10 minutes before using.
30 Ideally, make the meringue the day you plan to serve the pie.
31 In a large metal mixing bowl (or the bowl portion of a double boiler) add in the egg whites, a pinch of salt, and white granulated sugar.
32 In a separate pot (or the bottom of a double boiler) add in two inches of water. Bring the water to a gentle simmer and then turn the heat to low to keep it simmering.
33 Place the mixing bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved into the egg whites. Check to make sure that the mixture is done cooking by rubbing some of it between your fingers and feeling if the sugar has fully dissolved. If it is fully dissolved, turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the pot.
34 Allow the mixture to cool for 5-10 minutes. Use an electric mixer to whip the meringue on high speed until almost stiff peaks form. We’re going for a s’mores marshmallowy kind of texture.
35 Just before serving, remove the cake from the freezer. Take off the collar and unwrap the acetate ring.
36 Pour the slightly cooled ganache overtop and use the back of a spoon to spread it gently. If you feel like the ice cream is majorly melting. Put the cake back in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Then spoon the meringue on top and torch being careful not to burn the chocolate ganache.
37 Use a sharp knife to cut the cake into 8 slices. This takes a bit of force and pressure but it shouldn't be too hard. Serve immediately, store any leftovers in the freezer.