ice cream cake for *gasp* one year old

How can she be one year old already?

I had to smile reading back on her birth tale, because we've come so far since then. She's the happiest baby, and C continues to love her. She might not always be gentle with her, but she loves her. And O adores C. We've settled into a nice routine. So nice, in fact, that I'm tempted to mess it all up again with another one. Because what is more fun than all those hormonal changes combined with sleep loss and worry? This is. These days when you realize you survived the first year, and your infant is now turning into a toddler and soon she'll be speaking her first words and running around and it makes you want to do it all over again. For some odd reason, bonding through those difficult times makes the good times sweeter. [though, truly, O was hardly difficult. she was just an infant.] I love my girls so much; it is such a blessing to be their mother.

Having a summer birthday surely requires an ice cream cake, no? And since we're kind of into layer cakes around here, it couldn't be your typical cake. It had to be a quatro-chocolate-threat cake. I just made up that name, but let's run with it.

Quatro Chocolate Threat Ice Cream Cake

INGREDIENTS
1 brownie mix
1 pint cookies and cream ice cream

1/2 batch cookie dough (source)
- 4 T. melted butter
- 1/2 c. + 1 T. flour
- 3 T. sugar
- 3 T. brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. vanilla
- 1 T. milk
- 1/2 c. chocolate chips

Ganache
- 1/2 c. heavy whipping cream
- 4 oz. dark chocolate, chopped
- 1/2 T. butter

DIRECTIONS
1. Lightly grease an 8-inch springform pan.
2. Prepare brownie mix according to package directions, pour roughly one third to one half of the batter into the springform pan (so it's about 1/2 inch deep), and divide the rest into muffin tins [brownie cupcakes! it's a win-win!] Bake for less time than package directs, since you split the batter. Mine baked for 30 minutes vs. the 40 minutes called for on the box.
3. Allow brownie layer to cool completely.
4. Let ice cream sit out for about 15 minutes, then spread onto the brownie layer, and place cake in freezer.
5. Prepare cookie dough by mixing all the ingredients together, except the chocolate chips. Add more milk if needed to get the dough to your desired consistency, then add chips.
6. Spread cookie dough on top of ice cream and freeze cake again.
7. Prepare ganache by warming the cream in the microwave and then stirring the chocolate chunks in. If they don't totally melt, heat for 10 more seconds in the microwave. Stir in butter until smooth.
8. Remove cake from freezer and take off the springform pan wall. Place on serving plate, then pour ganache over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides.
9. Place inside a freezer-safe container, and put back in the freezer until it's time to serve.
10. Enjoy!