Make a delicious tea loaf with just three ingredients.
Here’s something fun to try with your mini chefs. Bake a sweet loaf using just ice cream, cereal, and flour, and enjoy it warm from the oven. Or slice it and make an awesome peanut butter and jam sandwich. You can also use a slice as a base for strawberries and whipped cream or bananas and chocolate sauce. Let your imagination take you on a taste safari!
First, this recipe is easy. But baking still requires a little effort. You have to read the recipe ahead to plan your strategy, prepare your pans, measure your ingredients and assemble them. Then, clean your kitchen while the loaf bakes. I don’t know about you, but I can’t do a thing in the kitchen without making a mess.
These are all things a young baker needs to master. A good cook understands time management to get dinner on the table. This recipe is a fun place to start.
The secret ingredient is ice cream. But remember that ice ream is a processed food, made from eggs, cream, sugar, and flavorings. Half the work is already done for you.
This recipe can be used as an easier alternative to the one that illustrates the story “Wauna’s Song” in Vinny’s book Cook Up A Story. Kids will be delighted to see what they can bake from a bowl of ice cream and a box of cereal.
Let’s take it from the freezer to the oven to the table, for an adventure in baking!
Ice Krispy Cake
Makes one small loaf, yielding 8 one-inch slices
- 2 cups of your favorite flavor of ice cream ( I used good-quality vanilla)
- 1 1/2 cups (180 grams) of whole grain pastry flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/2 cup whole grain puffed cereal, like rice crispies or Kashi puffed grains
- one loaf pan, 8 x 4-1/2 x 3 inches deep
- parchment paper, cut to fit
- oil to prepare pan or oil to spray, like Pam
- rubber spatula
- wire rack
- Preheat oven to 350C.
- Measure the ice cream carefully. Push the frozen scoops firmly into the bottom of the measuring cup, eliminating air spaces. Empty the ice cream into a large mixing bowl and let it melt at room temperature. Or microwave for 2 minutes on low power. It should be in a liquid state with all the lumps dissolved before you go further.
- Measure the flour and whisk in the baking powder if you are not using self-rising.
- Prepare your loaf pan. I rub a little oil onto the bottom and sides with a bit of paper towel, then I cut a piece of parchment paper to fit into the bottom. I finish with rubbing a little more oil onto the paper. You can also just spray the pan with Pam if you have it, and be done with it.
- When the ice cream has melted, thoroughly mix the flour into it using a rubber spatula. My hand mixer was not needed.
- Add the Puffed cereal and blend quickly.
- Pour the dough into the baking pan and smooth the top.
- Turn the oven setting to “Bake” and put the pan in the oven for 40-45 minutes, until a wooden pick comes out clean when pressed into the center of the loaf.
- Cool the pan on a wire rack for a few minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the loaf to loosen it from the pan. When you can safely handle the pan, invert it over the wire rack to dislodge the loaf. Slice and enjoy!
Nutrition
This is a sweet loaf, not a bread loaf. But with vanilla ice cream, it has only 7 grams of sugar in each slice, just 2 grams more than the limit we are aiming for in a food serving. Sugar content varies with the ice cream flavor you use, of course. Check the label.
Also there are 3 grams of fat, about half of them saturated, and 26 grams of carbohydrates, namely starch and 3 grams fiber. It all adds up to about 145 calories a slice.
The 3 grams of protein per slice lowers the affect of sugar in the blood stream. Protein also builds muscle. This loaf is a good source of calcium, iron, and vitamins A and C, helping to keep bones, teeth, and blood strong.
Dress up your slice with peanut butter and jam. Or top it with strawberries and whipped cream. Yummy!
Many desserts log in at over 300 calories a serving and much higher. So no matter how you slice it, this loaf makes a great low-sugar base for the family’s brunch or tea table.
Cook Up a Story 