Red Raspberry Ice Cream Cake with Raspberry Amaretto Sauce

Source: Courtesy of Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission - used by Recipe Goldmine with permission.

A 9-inch heart-shaped springform pan will give you an appropriate shape, but if you don't have one you may substitute a 9-inch round springform pan.

For the cake:
6 cups red raspberries, frozen
1/2 gallon vanilla ice cream
About 2 dozen Italian-style ladyfingers (available at
    most large grocery stores)
1/4 cup Amaretto liqueur (optional)
2/3 cup granulated sugar

For the sauce:
4 cups frozen red raspberries
2 tablespoons Amaretto (substitute 1/2 teaspoon almond
    extract if you prefer a nonalcoholic sauce)
3/4 cup granulated sugar

For garnish:
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Prepare springform pan by spraying with cooking spray and then lining with plastic wrap. Let plastic wrap hang over the sides of the pan.

Thaw 6 cups frozen raspberries. Remove ice cream from freezer and soften.

Cut ladyfingers in length to be flush with top edge of plastic-lined pan; stand them, with rounded edge at the top, along the sides of the pan. Place additional ladyfingers in the bottom of the pan, squeezing them in tightly to cover completely, cutting to fit in small areas if needed.

Sprinkle Amaretto over all ladyfingers, if desired (omit this step for nonalcoholic cake); set aside.

Puree raspberries in a food processor with the sugar. Press through a fine sieve into a large bowl. Add softened ice cream to raspberry puree, and combine well. Pour ice cream mixture into prepared pan with ladyfingers. Freeze cake, covered with plastic wrap, until frozen hard, about 6 hours or up to 1 week.

To serve, remove cake from freezer and let soften in refrigerator at least 30 minutes and up to 45 minutes before serving time. Remove cake from pan, discarding plastic wrap.

Whip heavy cream with sugar and almond extract until stiff peaks form. Garnish cake by piping cream along edge of cake with a large piping tip. Top cream with fresh or frozen whole raspberries. You may further decorate center with unsprayed fresh flowers, if desired.

Serve cake with sauce. Pass extra sauce at the table.

Yield: 10 servings.

To make the sauce: In a food processor, puree raspberries with sugar and Amaretto (or almond extract) and force through a fine sieve into a bowl. Sauce may be made ahead, covered and chilled.

Yield: 1 1/2 cups.

Nutrition information per serving: 557 calories, 7 grams protein, 86 grams carbohydrates, 21 grams total fat (13 grams saturated fat), 79 milligrams cholesterol, 264 milligrams sodium