Let Her Eat Cake: Jelly and Ice Cream Party Ring Cake

Here's one for all you sweet-toothers out there, who yearn for the days when 'pudding' meant jelly and ice cream, when marshmallows were toasted over campfires, and when 'nibbles' meant simultaneously jamming handfuls of salt and vinegar twirls and party ring biscuits into your mouth, whilst trying to beat  your primary school rival at musical chairs...

This is a ludicrous cake, but very fun, and if you find yourself invited to a children's party, or indeed, are contemplating a 'retro' (read, kids food + booze) shindig yourself, then here's your beast. What's more, it's super easy, so you could always impersonate a five year old's baking abilities by getting drunk and eating sweets.

The base for this is Laura B's genius Ice Cream Bread, and then we go to town... 

Jelly & Ice Cream Party Ring Cake (Serves many)

You'll need:

For the cake:

• 750ml ice cream, any flavour you fancy (I went for vanilla)
• 2 tbsp milk
• 300g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder

For the jelly and icing:

• 1 packet raspberry jelly (again, use whatever flavour you dig)
• 2 tbsp apricot jam
• 1 packet ready-made soft white icing
• 1/2 tsp pink food colouring
• 100g icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
• 25ml water
• Squeeze lemon juice

Make it!

The cake:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.
2. Grease a 20cm round baking tin. (I used a silicon one, but a traditional metal tin should be greased and lined). 
3. Place the ice cream in a large bowl with the milk, and stir to loosen it up. 
4. Sift in one third of the flour, and the baking powder. Fold in with a metal spoon, stirring a little to combine then repeat with the rest of the flour. 
5. The dough will be quite stiff, but don't overwork it, adding a little more milk if necessary. 
6. Splodge into the tin, smooth over the top with a clean spatula.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes, until risen and a skewer comes out clean. Cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack and leaving to cool completely.

The jelly and icing:

1. Make your jelly according to the instructions on the packet, and pour into a second 20cm sized mould. Place in the fridge to set. 
2. Carefully cut the cooled cake in half and brush each half - top and bottom - with some of the apricot jam.
3. Turn out the set jelly onto a plate and sandwich between the layers of ice cream cake. Then, using a sharp knife, cut a hole in the middle, through the cake and jelly, until your cake resembles a ring (Warning: THIS CAKE WOBBLES. Absurdly).
4. Dust a clean surface with icing sugar. Knead the fondant icing until smooth, adding the pink food colouring as you go, then roll out into a large square. 
5. Drape over the cake, pushing down into the hole, smoothing over and trimming the edges as necessary. 
6. Make up the water icing by placing 100g icing sugar in a bowl. 
7. Mix with a few drops of lemon juice and add the water a little at a time until it reaches the desired consistency. 
8. Drizzle or pipe the icing over in lines and stand back, plotting how to win the next game of musical statues.