Black Forest Ice Cream Cake

• Line a 9x13 inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving the sides to hand over the sides. Preheat the oven to 350F
• In a stand mixer, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and sugar. Mix with a paddle attachment to combine.
• Add the butter and oil and mix until the mixer is almost a sandy texture.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the milk, chocolate, coffee, and extracts. Mix until well combined.
• Add the milk mixture to the mixer and beat on low until incorporated.
• Add the eggs in one at a time, mixing well in between each egg. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix for another minute.
• Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or a toothpick comes out clean after being stuck in the middle. Allow to cool for about 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Ice Cream

• In a large saucepan, mix together the cream, milk, and sugar. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds and add to the cream mixture. Add the vanilla bean pod to the mixture as well. If you are using vanilla extract, do not add it in yet. Heat the cream until it begins to steam and simmer at the edges. Turn down the heat to low.
• Whisk the egg yolks in a container and slowly add about ⅓ of the cream mixture to the yolks, whisking the eggs constantly. Return the mixture back to the saucepan, stirring the saucepan constantly.
• Bring the heat back to medium and stir the mixture constantly, occasionally scraping the sides and bottom of the pot for another 5 minutes, or until the mixture thickens. You can test this by running your finger down the back of your spoon or spatula to see if the line remains. Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove any cooked yoks and the vanilla bean pod.
• Transfer the ice cream to another container and cool until it reaches about 40 degrees F. (I place it in a large freezer bag and put in an ice bath for 20 minutes before transferring to the refrigerator).
• Place the custard in your ice cream maker and whisk in your vanilla extract if you are using that instead of the beans and the kirsch. Churn the ice cream according to manufacturer instructions. Fold in the cherries and pour into an airtight container and place in the freezer until we need it.

For the Whipped Cream

• Beat the heavy cream with a chilled mixing bowl and whisk until it thickens and forms soft peaks. Add in the kirsch and beat on medium for about another minute.

Assembly

• Cut the cake into thirds. The first third should be small to fit the bottom of a loaf pan. The second should be slightly larger, and the final third should be the largest (this is to mimic the form of a loaf pan which is wider at the top)
• Line your loaf pan with plastic wrap and place the smallest cake slice at the bottom of the pan. Brush with the kirsch. Top with the ice cream, then whipped cream. Place the second cake slice and repeat with the kirsch, ice cream, and whipped cream. Top with the largest cake slice. Wrap everything tightly with plastic wrap and allow to freeze until firm - about 4 hours.