This Classic Dessert Casserole Is So Good, I Needed to Observe Down My Mom’s Handwritten Recipe

When I used to be a child, most of Mom’s culinary best hits had pretty self-explanatory names. Chicken noodle soup. Hot ham and cheese sandwiches. Beef mushroom. When it got here time for dessert, although, my two older sisters and I knew it was a very good day when Frozen Yum Yum was on the menu.

Since leaving residence to attend school 20 years in the past, I haven’t savored a slice—and actually forgot about it. But after perusing this tempting round-up of ice cream treats, the decadent slices Mom deemed “Frozen Yum Yum” rushed again to thoughts. I couldn’t resist calling her to get the backstory—and the recipe—so I might recreate the delightfully named dessert casserole and cross alongside the custom.

First, What Is Frozen Yum Yum?

Frozen Yum Yum has been in my mother’s recipe card assortment longer than I’ve been alive, so I requested her for the dish and the way it got here into her life.

A university good friend had talked about loving a household dessert, she says, “so I asked for the recipe.” But Mom waited for her women to be “old enough to enjoy it” earlier than giving Frozen Yum Yum a attempt in her kitchen.

Not to be confused with Texas Yum Yum pudding pie, Cherry Yum Yum cheesecake bars, or Granny’s Lemon Yum Yum with cream cheese-whipped cream, Frozen Yum Yum is a dessert casserole that almost all resembles an ice cream cake with a graham cracker crust, an ultra-easy chocolate mousse-like layer, and a softened vanilla ice cream topping with a couple of extra graham cracker crumbs for good measure.

Confirming that it “was a very special occasion treat,” Mom remembers that “we’d have it more in the summer, and sometimes those who had summer birthdays [like my oldest sister, Amy, and me] might request it for their birthday cakes. The ice cream and graham crackers are a great combination.”

I bear in mind standing at Mom’s hip as she’d whip softened butter with powdered sugar, and I’m fairly positive that is the place I first discovered that you may separate eggs. (After incorporating the egg yolks into the chocolate mousse combination, you fold in whipped egg whites to loosen up the consistency.)

As a child, what I adored most about Frozen Yum Yum—and why I sometimes requested for it in lieu of Funfetti Cake—is the distinction. Crunchy meets creamy. Chocolate meets vanilla. Somehow, the entire is a lot better than its elements, and solely seven components are required.

A Word on Frozen Yum Yum’s Ingredients

Think of Frozen Yum Yum as a streamlined older sister of a Dairy Queen ice cream cake. Here’s all you’ll must attempt it at residence:

• Softened butter: Salted or unsalted; both works. Mom would at all times set out the 1 1/3 sticks of butter about an hour earlier than we’d begin meeting, however should you’re crunched for time, use this foolproof trick to soften butter fast.

• Powdered sugar: The chocolate layer of Frozen Yum Yum is sort of a mash-up of chocolate frosting and chocolate mousse. Powdered sugar, often known as confectioners’ sugar, lends sweetness. Once you cream it with the butter, it lightens up the feel superbly.

• Eggs: You’ll want 3 eggs, with the yolks and whites separated. In a small bowl, use a fork or whisk to combine the yolks till they’re even in consistency. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks to fold in as you end the chocolate combination. If yow will discover them, pasteurized eggs are a clever transfer since this can be a no-bake dessert.

• Unsweetened chocolate: Mom at all times used a bar of baking chocolate. The unsweetened nature is good because the powdered sugar actually makes the whipped layer candy sufficient. That stated, should you can’t discover or don’t love unsweetened, a couple of squares from a bar of semisweet (50% to 60% cacao) or darkish chocolate (60% to 99%) are strong substitutes. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler on the range. Or observe Mom’s lead and place the chocolate in a heat-safe bowl and microwave at 50% energy in 30-second intervals, stirring between every, till it’s melted.

• Salt: Just a pinch is ideal to accent the candy nature of this dessert.

• Chopped nuts: These are utterly non-obligatory. In truth, when discussing Frozen Yum Yum with Mom, she forgot they have been even listed on her recipe card. If you determine to incorporate them, attempt chopped pecans, walnuts, or peanuts.

• Graham cracker crumbs: Crusts don’t come a lot simpler than this. Just crush graham cracker crumbs in a meals processor—or go old-school and use a zip-top bag and a rolling pin (my favourite method to do it as a child)—then press them into the underside of the pan. No additional butter required. I’m already dreaming about whipping up Frozen Yum Yums with bases made with crumbled chocolate graham crackers, crushed waffle cones, and crumbled shortbread cookies.

• Vanilla ice cream: When I not too long ago requested chefs to share their favorite vanilla ice cream, Tillamook got here out on high. Our inside style take a look at resulted in Häagen-Dazs (Ina Garten’s MVP) popping out on high. Snag a quart of your private decide for the perfect vanilla ice cream. Once you’ve tried the traditional chocolate-vanilla rendition, contemplate swapping in one other taste of ice cream that performs properly with chocolate, reminiscent of cherry, strawberry, cookies and cream, or cookie dough.

How to Make Frozen Yum Yum Casserole

As written, this ice cream dessert makes a party-sized portion: A 9 x 13-inch pan, which Mom would typically slice into 15 beneficiant servings. If you favor a smaller amount, halve the components and construct your Yum Yum in a 9-inch spherical. For particular person parts, assemble Frozen Yum Yum “cupcakes” in a muffin pan. (The full recipe beneath ought to deal with you to about 24 yummy cupcakes.)

Yield: About 15 to 18 servings

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup softened butter, plus extra for greasing the pan

• 3 egg yolks, barely crushed (pasteurized if attainable)

• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 egg whites, whipped into gentle peaks

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs, or about 16 full graham cracker sheets (or extra should you desire a thicker crust)

• 1 quart vanilla ice cream

Directions

1. Cream collectively butter and powdered sugar. Add egg yolks, melted chocolate, salt, vanilla, and nuts. Fold in egg whites.

2. Butter the underside of a 9- x 13-inch pan. Pat graham cracker crumbs on the underside of the pan. Reserve a couple of crumbs to sprinkle on high of the dessert.

3. Pour chocolate combination over crumbs, and freeze for two hours. Remove from freezer, and unfold with softened vanilla ice cream. Sprinkle remaining crumbs on the highest, and return to the freezer. Serve frozen.

Read the unique article on Allrecipes