This pie is completely kitsch and quirky. You can make it with any flavour of ice cream – or why not try mixing different flavours for a two-tone pie. As the pie contains ice cream it is important to work quickly and place it in the freezer as soon as possible for best results.

Serves 6 

Ingredients

For the pie crust:

• 250g digestive biscuits
• 100g butter, melted

For the filling:

• 500ml ice cream (flavour of your choosing)
• 300ml double cream

To decorate:

• 50g dark chocolate, melted and cooled
• chocolate confections
• 23cm/9in deep pie dish, greased

Method

Blitz the digestive biscuits to fine crumbs in a food processor or blender, or place in a clean plastic bag and bash with a rolling pin. Stir in the melted butter, ensuring that all the crumbs are well coated. Press the crumbs into the base and sides of the greased pie dish using the back of a spoon. Place the pie crust in the freezer and chill for 30 minutes. It is important to do this so that the case is cold, which will help prevent the ice cream mixture from melting.

For the filling, bring the ice cream just to room temperature, until it is soft enough to spoon out. Gently whip the double cream to soft peaks, then beat in the ice cream quickly. Working very fast, spoon the ice cream mixture into the frozen pie crust and transfer immediately to the freezer. Leave until the filling is frozen completely.

To decorate, drizzle the frozen pie with the cooled melted chocolate and fix chocolate confections on top with a little chocolate. You need to work quickly, as the chocolate will set very quickly on the frozen ice cream. It is also important that the melted chocolate is cooled; if it is drizzled while hot, it will melt the ice cream. Return the pie to the freezer immediately and freeze until you are ready to serve.

When you want to eat the pie, bring it to room temperature and then serve in large slices to your guests. This pie will keep for up to a month, wrapped in clingfilm, in the freezer. 

Here almond, coffee and chocolate ice creams are dipped into melted chocolate and coated in crushed Savoiardi cookies. Delicious!

Makes 6

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 250g mascarpone
• 300ml double cream
• 50ml milk
• 3 tablespoons icing sugar
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 100g dark chocolate, chopped
• 25g Savoiardi cookies, crushed
• 6 small popsicle moulds and sticks
• baking sheet, lined with baking parchment

Method

Dissolve the cocoa powder and the espresso powder separately in 1 tablespoon of boiling water each. Set aside to cool.

Combine the mascarpone, cream, milk, sugar and almond extract in a food processor and blend until smooth. Measure and divide evenly into three bowls. Stir the cocoa mixture into one and the coffee mixture into another, leaving one bowl plain.

Divide the plain cream between the moulds. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm. Add the coffee layer and freeze for 30 minutes or until firm enough to hold the sticks upright. Gently add the sticks and freeze for another 30 minutes until firm. Finally, add the cocoa cream mixture and freeze for 4–6 hours until frozen.

About 20 minutes before you are ready to serve, put the prepared baking sheet into the freezer. Meanwhile, melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Make sure the base of the bowl does not touch the water.

After 10 minutes, dip the moulds quickly into hot water, then gently pull out the popsicles. Immediately dip the ends into the melted chocolate and then into the crushed biscuits. Place the popsicles on the prepared baking sheet and return to the freezer for 10 minutes to set. 

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 4 scoops store-bought raspberry ripple ice cream
• 10 fresh raspberries
• 500ml raspberry or cherry soda, chilled
• pink sprinkles, to decorate (optional)
• 2 soda glasses, chilled
• 2 paper straws

Method

Put one scoop of ice cream in the bottom of each glass and divide the raspberries between them.

Top up the glasses with raspberry or cherry soda and finish with a second scoop of ice cream.

Decorate the top with sprinkles, if using, and serve immediately with straws. 

Frozen Sweet Treats & Desserts (£14.99, Ryland Peters & Small) is out now