Martha Stewart's Semi-Homemade Mochaccino Ice Cream Pie Is the Star Dessert of Summer

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There’s something about summer that triggers our sweet tooth, and even though we do most of our baking during the winter holiday season, there are still tons of baking-light dessert recipes we can choose from in the summer. From boozy ice pop recipes to those that feature summer fruit (hello, raspberry tiramisu), we’re always trying new summer dessert recipes, and we just spotted one that is an absolute must-try. Martha Stewart, author of Martha Stewart’s Cake Perfection, has an ice cream pie recipe up her sleeve that will perk you right up even on the hottest summer days, and not just thanks to its icy temperature — it’s also got a boost of coffee flavor that will give you a jolt of energy, so you can make it through another sweaty summer afternoon.

One of the things that we love about Stewart’s Frozen Café Mochaccino Tart, which is basically a chocolate-coffee ice cream pie topped with caramel meringue, is that it calls for store-bought ice cream. That takes a lot of work out of the recipe. You’ll need coffee ice cream and chocolate ice cream, and don’t skimp on quality — the better the ice cream, the better your finished tart will be.

Stewart makes a homemade chocolate pie crust, which is made from an easy press-in dough. That’s a relief, because rolling out traditional pie dough in the summer can be a huge hassle. But if you want to save time, and don’t feel like turning on the oven to bake the crust before filling it, you could always pick up a pre-made chocolate pie crust from the store too.

The one element of the pie that you’ll definitely want to make from scratch, though, is the fluffy caramel meringue, which has a decadent, creamy flavor and a pillowy texture that’s the perfect contrast to the rich mocha ice cream filling and the crisp bite of the chocolate crust.

The dessert is kept in the freezer, and can be garnished with cacao nibs before serving, which adds a crunchy cocoa bite to each slice.

It might not be a traditional cake, but we think Martha Stewart’s Frozen Café Mochaccino Tart is the perfect summer birthday dessert, and it’s sure to be a hit at 4th of July parties, barbecues, and Sunday dinners, too.

In search of more summer recipes? Giada De Laurentiis has plenty:

Watch: How to Make Sugar Cookie Berry Pizza