Salted Caramel Malted Mocha Ice Cream Cake

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1½ cups packed brown sugar

½ cup cocoa powder

1½ teaspoons baking soda

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon instant coffee

½ cup Ovaltine Classic Malt mix

1½ cups water

1 tablespoon cider or white vinegar

½ cup vegetable or canola oil

1 pint coffee ice cream

½ cup caramel sauce

Coarse or flake sea salt

Fresh berries

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray and line it with kitchen parchment.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the instant coffee, malt powder, water and vinegar. Add the oil, then add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Whisk until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely.

When ready to assemble the cake, microwave the ice cream in 10-second increments until just slightly softened. Flip the cake out of the pan onto a cutting board. Remove the parchment and trim the edges off to make a neat rectangle. Cut the cake in half down the center (the short way), then cut each half in half again to create 4 even rectangles.

Place 1 piece of cake on a serving platter, then spread a third of the coffee ice cream over it. Top with a second piece of cake, then spread another third of ice cream over that. Repeat one more time, finishing with the last piece of cake. Place the assembled cake in the freezer to firm up for 20 minutes. The cake also can be tightly wrapped in plastic and frozen overnight. If so, let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before slicing. To serve, slice the cake into squares, then drizzle each serving with caramel sauce. Sprinkle with a few grains of sea salt and serve with fresh berries.

Serves eight.

Nutrition values per serving: 590 calories, 19 g fat (4 g saturated), 102 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 66 g sugar, 8 g protein, 15 mg cholesterol, 540 mg sodium.

Alison Ladman, for The Associated Press