Cookie Dough Ice-Cream Cake

I have a confession to make:  I made this cake for Mike's birthday.  No big deal?  Well, his birthday is in November.  That's right, I've been holding onto this recipe since then.  Why?  I thought that an ice-cream cake was much more appropriate to share during the hot month of August rather than the chilly month of November.  This cake was too amazing not to share, so of course, I'm sharing it with you today. 

This cake begins with a layer of Chocolate Chip Cookie "Cake".  It's amazing just by itself, and it's what I made Mike for his birthday the first year we were married.  If I have to keep improving upon his cakes, this year's going to be insane...I better start thinking of ideas.  And what about 20 years from now, oh boy!

Anyway, the cookie cake is topped with Mike's favorite ice-cream--Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.  Then it is covered with a layer of chocolate ganache.  And to top it off, I used my recipe for Ready to Eat Cookie Dough to make cookie dough truffles for the decoration.  The result?  This cake was out-of-this world delicious!

Cookie Dough Ice-Cream Cake

Serves 12+

1 Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake (without the melted chocolate on top)

1 carton Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice-Cream

1 batch of Ready-to-Eat Cookie Dough, rolled into 1 inch balls

Ganache:

3/4 cup cream

2 Tablespoons butter

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1.  In a microwave safe bowl, heat cream and butter on medium high for 2 minutes.

2.  Pour over chopped chocolate and stir until smooth.

To assemble cake:

1.  Allow the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake to cool completely.

2.  Let the ice-cream thaw at room temperature for about 10 minutes, until it is spreadable.

3.  Spread the ice-cream in a thick layer over the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cake.

4.  Pour ganache over the ice-cream.  It may harden quickly so work fast to spread it out.

5.  Place the cookie dough truffles on top of the ganache.

Serve immediately or freeze until you're ready to serve.  Let it thaw at room temperature for 5-10 minutes before cutting into it.  Freeze any leftovers in an air-tight container.

Note: If the Ready-to-Eat Cookie Dough is too sticky to roll into balls, add a small amount of flour or refrigerate it until it is easily handled.

***Edited to Add:  I've heard from a lot of you that this cake has presented issues.  Here are a couple suggestions I've come up with to help you:
-Instead of spreading the ice-cream over the cake as suggested in step 3, line a cake pan (the same size as the one you baked your cake in) with plastic wrap.  Spread the ice-cream into the pan and allow it to freeze.  Then flip the frozen ice-cream over the cake and remove the plastic wrap.  This should make that step a lot easier!
-Per the suggestion left in the comments, make the entire cake in a 9x13" pan.