Beat Summer Boredom—and the Heat—with Kid-Friendly Strawberry Chill Cake

This weekend my single (aka childless and happy) brother-in-law came to spend Father’s Day weekend with us.

I’m sure he’ll make a mental note to stay in a hotel next time: Between our small house, an overly barky dog, and two kids, guests tend to wake up just a tad earlier than they would elsewhere. “Wow, I’m actually up at 7:09 on a Saturday.” (Somehow the novelty wears off by year five).

Then he watched as the kids did their typical thing: played, watched half a cartoon, rode bikes, ate a few bites of breakfast, resumed playing.

“Wow, it’s only 7:48?,” he asked, perplexed, tapping his watch. “It feels a lot later.” Welcome to my world—where time seems to stand still some days…yet fly by during others.

If you’re finding yourself looking at the clock a little too much this summer and are looking for a kid-friendly cooking activity—Ivy’s Strawberry Chill Cake could do the trick. (It will also give you a much-needed break from the heat.)

This particular recipe is great because you can do it in stages—you can mix the cake batter ingredients and clean up just as your kids' attention span is sending them off to build a fort, impersonate Spiderman, or climb through all the laundry you just folded. When you’re sensing a meltdown or the need for a little mellow time you can say, “Hey, let’s check the freezer and see how the cakes are coming.” Most kids will enjoy helping you assemble the layers or decorate the cake, and most kids will, at the very least, enjoy eating it.

With the liberal helping of strawberries, the natural ice cream, and the lighter Neufatchel cream cheese, this really is a healthy way to chill out with your kids this summer.

Ivy makes this for summer barbecues and get-togethers--I would think it would be a big hit for Fourth of July. And, if you're not a huge strawberry ice cream fan, experiment with another flavor--just be sure it's all-natural.

Strawberry Chill Cake

Serves: 12

For the cake:
3 cups all-natural strawberry ice cream (such as Breyer’s)
Canola oil cooking spray
3/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup plain unsweetened soymilk (we recommend Silk brand)
1/2 cup baby food banana puree (such as Earth’s Best brand “Organic First Bananas”)
1/3 cup high-oleic or high-heat canola oil
2 omega-3 organic, cage free eggs (such as Organic Valley)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon pure lemon extract
2 cups white whole wheat flour (such as King Arthur Flour brand)
3/4 cup all-natural strawberry preserves, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pint of fresh strawberries, sliced in half lengthwise (leave the green stems on) and drained on paper towels

For the frosting:
1 (8-ounce) packaged Neufatchel cream cheese
1/3 cup all-natural strawberry preserves
1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat two 9-inch round cake pans with canola oil cooking spray.

2. Line a third 9-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap. Spread the ice cream in the pan, cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 3 to 4 hours, or until ice cream is firm.

3. Add the confectioners’ sugar, soymilk, banana puree, oil, eggs, lemon juice and lemon extract to a large bowl; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Mix in the flour, 1/4 cup of the strawberry preserves, baking powder and salt.

4. Divide the batter between the 2 canola-oil sprayed cake pans. Bake for approximately 18-22 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle of each cake comes out clean. Set cakes on a wire rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cakes from their pans and wrap with plastic wrap. Freeze cakes for 2 hours, or until slightly frozen.

5. While cakes are freezing, prepare frosting by beating together the cream cheese, strawberry preserves and confectioners’ sugar. Cover frosting and refrigerate.

6. To assemble cake, place one cake layer, bottom side up, on a cake pedestal. Spread cake with 1/4 cup of the strawberry preserves. Remove ice cream layer from freezer; remove plastic wrap. Place ice cream layer, bottom side up, on top of cake layer. Spread ice cream layer with the remaining 1/4 cup of strawberry preserves. Top ice cream with remaining cake layer. Spread frosting over the top and sides of cake. Decorate the outer perimeter of the cake with sliced strawberries (green stems facing outward). Freeze the cake until ready to serve. Let cake stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing.