Mocha Semifreddo for Shelley's Virtual Baby Shower

One of my blogger friends, Shelley from franish nonspeaker, is having a baby! And what better way for her blogger friends to celebrate with her and to welcome her little one into the world than through a virtual baby shower. When Ilke, from Ilke's Kitchen, sent out the baby shower invitation she said that Shelley would like easy to prepare recipes that she can make ahead or freeze. Little Ruby is due to arrive in August and momma-to-be probably won't want to do a whole lot of cooking that first month and who wants to heat up their home during the month of August anyway? I decided to go with dessert because it is my favorite part of any meal and this dessert can be prepared ahead of time and put in the freezer until ready to serve. You don't even need an ice cream maker to make this soft-frozen, coffee and chocolate Italian dessert.

I thought this would be perfect for a new mom because it has some caffeine and some chocolate to keep her going, and it is cold and creamy as it starts to melt which will cool her off during those hot, sultry Austin evenings. It tastes like a frozen mocha frappuccino - only creamier.

Shelley, I am beyond excited for you and I am looking forward to hearing about your new adventures in motherhood.

A special thank you goes out to Ilke for organizing this virtual baby shower for Shelley and selecting such a cute baby shower invitation. 

For some really wonderful easy-to-prepare summer recipes , please check out the rest of the blogger sites below. Some of them have already posted their recipe for the shower and others will post by the end of the week.

Shelley (mom-to-be) from franish nonspeaker

Ilke from Ilke's Kitchen

Anna from Keep It Luce  

Carrie from Bakeaholic Mama

Christina from Girl Gone Grits

Esra from Irmik Hanim

Jennie from Pastry Chef Online

Jennifer from Scissors and Spatulas

Lana from Bibberche

Lisa from Lisa Is Cooking

Renee from Sweet Sugar Bean

Robin from A Chow Life

Sarah from Snippets of Thyme

Mocha Semifreddo
from Everyday Food

Ingredients
1 cup sugar
6 large egg yolks
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
2-1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 ounce dark chocolate shavings (chocolate shaved with a vegetable peeler)
Chocolate-covered espresso beans

Directions

1. Center a piece of waxed paper on the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan, so it sticks out a bit. It should be slightly larger than the pan. Put the pan back together, keeping the wax paper in place. Spray the side of the pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the pan with one long strip of waxed paper. 
2. In a large heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, combine 3/4 cup of the sugar with the egg yolks and espresso powder. Whisking constantly, cook until the mixture is pale, thickened, and almost doubled in volume, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until stiff peaks form. Whisk 1/3 cup of the whipped cream into the cooled egg yolk mixture and with a rubber spatula, fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Pour the mixture into the prepared springform pan. Freeze until firm for at least 3 hours and up to one week.
4. Using a thin metal spatula, loosen the semifreddo from the paper and carefully slide from pan to a chilled serving platter. Return to the freezer until ready to serve. Just before serving, garnish with chocolate shavings and espresso beans.