Dear Reader, I will freely admit that I wasn’t a stellar student at school. My school reports were usually filled with the phrase “Lorraine could do well if she applied herself” and even now, if I do have nightmares, it’s about repeating a semester at university or not actually having graduated. Sometimes I wake with a start with a dread as if I have to repeat a year of school.
Science was not my best subject. Well, specifically physics or chemistry. Biology, I could understand because I could see things but physical concepts seemed elusive – I know physicists or those skilled at physics would say that we see it in action in every day situations but nevertheless, I failed spectacularly at it. Physics also comes to me at the most inopportune times. Many years ago, when Mr NQN and I were on holiday, he encouraged me to go on the water slide. I’m not a great swimmer and I dislike getting my face wet.
“I’ll go with you” he said grinning a wet grin, his wet hair dripping water on me. He was completely wet having gone up and down the slide several times. I got up and we sat at the top of the slide. I sat down behind him and he held onto my legs which I wrapped around him.
A thought suddenly hit me as I leaned in and wrapped my arms around him. It was the physics equation f=ma. That is, force equals mass of the body times acceleration. I realised that I would be much better off going down by myself as the weight of both of us together would propel us into the water with a greater force and speed. “Are you ready?” he said and before I could answer no, we took off with me screaming “F equals M A!!!!” before I swallowed much water as we reached the water before I even knew it.
See? Physics is always there…
And even though I don’t really know many equations, one I’m really fond of when I bake is the one where the effort expended is less than the effort perceived. That is, when you do something relatively simple while others think that it’s a big effort. Making ice cream bombes are a bit like that. They’re large, dome shaped features that tend to draw attention. But this one really is quite easy and I’m even counting making the ice cream from scratch (although you can buy the ice cream but this really is easy as long as you have an electric whisk).
I’m making this again for an Australia Day barbecue with friends Louise and Viggo. I wanted to give it an Australian flavour and Tim Tams are as much a national biscuit as any. I don’t actually love them if that makes any sense (and I may have to give up my citizenship for saying that) but in this bombe they are absolutely appropriate. They’ve got a crunchiness and texture to add to the smooth, creamy ice cream and adding malt to the chocolate ice cream adds another flavour dimension.
Australia Day always tends to be very hot so ice cream seems called for and the bonus was that I inadvertently learned how to make one of my childhood favourite items: Ice Magic! It’s just two ingredients melted together-chocolate and coconut oil or copha. I only offer copha as an alternative in case you’re like me and have a wedge of copha in your fridge that you don’t know what to do with. There’s something really fun about ladling a scoop of liquid chocolate on top of an ice cream bombe and watching it drip and harden in place-of course you can do this in front of guests if you want to make a show of it. My recipe makes a little more Magic Chocolate than is needed but I will serve slices of this with some extra Magic Chocolate sauce.
So tell me Dear Reader, do you like Tim Tams? And what is your favourite biscuit or cookie? And what are you eating on Australia Day?
Tim Tam Bombe
An Original Recipe by Not Quite Nigella
Degree of difficulty: easy to medium
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Freezing time: four hours to overnight
- 600ml cream
- 1/2 cup icing or superfine sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup Milo or malt powder
- 4 teaspoons cocoa
- 1 packet Tim Tams
- 100g/3.5 ozs dark chocolate
- 35g copha or coconut oil
- I also used a 5 cup capacity freezer proof bowl and made a relatively small to medium sized bombe that could feed about 8-10 people. You will need to adjust the ingredients if you are making a larger one (you can always freeze the excess ice cream and eat by itself).
1. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a whisk attachment, sift the icing sugar and add the cream and vanilla. Whip until you get soft peaks-you don’t want stiff peaks. Divide the whipped cream into two bowls. Set one bowl aside, that will be your vanilla ice cream and in the other bowl, sift the cocoa powder and add the Milo or malt powder and fold in well so that there aren’t any white streaks.
2. You can line the bowl with cling wrap (making sure to have plenty of overhang to grab onto when you take it out) but you do tend to get wrinkles or lines on the outside of the bombe. I didn’t line my bowl and it came out fairly easily although if you are the anxious or nervous type, I’d advise against it and suggest that you line the bowl with cling film. Spread the chocolate cream on the inside of the bowl and leave a hollow -you want perhaps an inch of chocolate cream around the bottom and sides.
Filling the centre with Tim Tams
3. Then add some Tim Tams in the cavity (making sure to reserve one or two to put on top). I left them whole so that you could see them but it does make it a bit tricky to cut and just dolloped the vanilla cream between the layers. Alternatively, and this makes cutting it up easier, chop up the Tim Tams and stir them through the vanilla cream. Spoon the vanilla cream into the cavity. Cover the cling film and freeze until set, at least four hours or overnight.
4. Before you are ready to serve it, unmold the bombe. Have a large bowl of very hot water and carefully dunk the bombe inside it making sure not to wet the top of the bombe. It will eventually loosen-help it along by dragging a thin knife along the edges to help ease it out. When you feel it loosening a little, place an upturned plate on top of it and flip it over carefully-it should come out. If it doesn’t come out straight away, then dunk in the water and repeat. If you’ve used cling wrap then it’s easy to take it out. Smooth the surface with a offset palette knife. Place in the freezer until your chocolate magic is ready.
Stirring the copha into the chocolate
5. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or a microwave until melted. Add in the coconut oil or copha and stir. Allow to cool so that it isn’t hot but roughly “blood temperature”-not too hot, but not set. Chop up the remaining two Tim Tims. Take the bombe out of the freezer and place it on the serving plate. Using a ladle, spoon the chocolate sauce onto the top centre of the bombe allowing it to drip. Do this a few times until you get as many drips as you want-it will set fairly quickly. Place Tim Tam pieces on top while the chocolate is unset. You can place this back in the freezer if you want to serve it later or you can serve it straight away. Serve with extra Magic Chocolate.
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69 Comments | Add your own
I just gasped when I saw the title of your post! I love Tim Tams (I only brought home about 8 packages when I went to Australia) – your bombe looks positively divine!!
I hated school and still have nightmares about math exams…
This bombe looks so pretty and delicious.
Cheers,
Rosa
How pretty, love this dessert. I don’t know what tim tams are but will google them shortly. I will have to bookmark this recipe for our summer months, such beautiful presentation.
My brother was always the ‘brainy’ one in the family so I had to really apply myself to be able to come even close to his A’s. I once told my Dad that we should just accept that I’m a B student, and he nearly bit my head off. Much hard work, I graduated with A’s and even a very good grade-point average from Uni. I was good at Physics too, but would have never remembered your equation. I don’t like getting my face wet either.
What a beauty Lorraine! Very impressed with this recipe of yours! Chocolate cream, tim tams, ice cream?!?!? That’s awesome! Delishh!
beautiful presentation!
Now that looks just the thing to eat on Australia Day Lorraine…and also rather spectacular!
I love that this cheeky concoction comes directly after the detox post
–This looks AMAZing, Lorraine.
you. are. amazing.
Kisssss xxx
A dinky di Australia Day treat!
I adore Tim Tams – the English equivalent, Penguins, are a poor second cousin to our very own. This bombe looks fantastic – hope you have fun eating it on Aussie Day.
Wow that is one super easy recipe. Think I may have to give this one a go!!
I couldn’t do science either and physics was my worst subject. I dropped it as soon as I could. And my reports always said the same thing. Did we have the same teachers? This is a great looking bombe and will be such a hit on Australia Day. It looks spectacular xx
Good work! I have only recently started exploring the world of home made ice cream. It’s pretty exciting except there’s only me here and I don’t eat that much ice cream. I love having the secret to Ice Magic now – thanks
I’m with you – not a Tim Tam fan – although I do like them made into pops. But I think I would love your milo ice cream I remember mixing up milo and ice cream myself as a child and it was delicious
Well done Lorraine – what a great Australia Day treat. My husband is addicted to Tim Tams – he’ll love this!
What a cute bombe, Lorraine! But on Australia Day I am eating soup, a bowl of warm soup.
Very impressive. Must admit Tim Tams are not my thing. I have a weakness for Byron Bay macadamia and white chocolate cookies however. So worth it to visit their factory in Byron for the heavily discounted bags of seconds. On that note, they also have an apricot and muesli variety. Mmmm.
Don’t feel bad, NQN. I, too am not the world’s biggest Tim Tam fan. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll politely eat one and (kind of) enjoy it, but I’d never go back for a second. Even a mint slice biscuit (in my opinion) is far better when finely grated over the top of good vanilla icecream. Sorry, but I just don’t get all the fuss of our ‘national biscuit’…
Ohhh…you remind me the nightmare I used to have when I was at the university…I dreamed that I did not complete a course or did not complete the credits needed to complete the year, and I realized that missing the last day, so I could not be graduated…horrible…
Oh wow, I like need to make this now!
Next to you dear Lorraine Tim Tams are my absolute favourites and having just reduced my weight by 10kg (so far) you have given me the perfect celebration dessert
That looks fantastic, but i will admit, that i think Tim Tams are not what they first started out to be, their quality and size seems to have diminished over the years. Every now and then i will buy a packet, and after the first bite, be incredibly dissapointed, and give the rest of the packet away. Perhaps its age and my memory is playing tricks, but they used to be made in australia, and some packets are now made in asia !
Oh dear Lorraine! Why would you subject me to seeing this while at work!
I hadn’t thought about Ice Magic in years until last night when I thought my organic chocolate coconut butter would be nice on Icecream… When I put it on it then froze hard and I thought ‘this is exactly like Ice Magic!’. And lo and behold its on your post today!!! Obviously there is something in the chemistry between coconut, chocolate and cold
Tim Tams by the way r beyond my favourite biscuit, and as Im unable to scoff half a packet like I used to as a teenager Im a bit of a freak and often just like to inhale the scent of an opened up pack lol.
Thanks NQN great recipe… would go nice with Oreo’s too on a less patriotic day.
As my daughter would say – AWESOME.
Tick tick boom!!! (Drawer full of Tim Tam packs; simply heart them)
Yum Yum! The kids will love this! Great idea for summer.
hehe I think I know what I’ll be making for the boy’s birthday since he has once again requested an ice cream cake! might do a test run for Aust. day
I’ve never had Tim Tims, but they sound great! Too bad the Mexicans don’t know about Australia Day–I’m sure they’d be up for a fiesta! We love fiestas!
yum! this is the most amazing and simple dessert ever! i shall make it for australia day too!
A top notch substitute for the copha in this recipe is coconut oil! It also hardens at cold temperatures, and depending on what brand you buy, it can add a nice subtle flavour as well.
Hi Sarah, I mentioned coconut oil in the recipe
I love that this recipe follow your detox post – how appropriate.
But I love this. We’re having people ’round on Australia day and this sounds like it might be the perfect thing to serve. Thank you once again for a fabulous NQN original.
I’m not the biggest fan of Tim Tams either Lorraine. I’m much more a Mint Slice girl. Must try and make my own ice magic. Oh how I used to love that as a kid. The trick was getting the ice-cream to ice-magic ratio just right so you got some chocolate crunch with every bite.
Wow – ice magic was ‘THE’ dessert when we were kids. Mum would buy gallons of the stuff in preparation of the huge bowl of ice cream we would be rewarded with after eating every single thing on our dinner plate (and I mean e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g). What a great looking tim tim bombe with rock hard ice magic. Do ahead for Australia Day and it is my daughter’s birthday on the 27th so we have double celebrations every year.
I had the same feedback on my report cards too. Oh and that the teachers saw more of the back of my head than the front (my friends always sat behind me).
I am a cookie monster! I love cookies especially Tim Tams, Oreo’s and Mint Slices.
This Australia Day I hope to enjoy a seafood BBQ. I haven’t worked out what I’m making for dessert but I want it to be decadent. Maybe it will be your Tim Tam Ice Cream Bombe!
LOVE anything Tim Tam related, TRUE!
GREAT Aussie day BBQ recipe too!
Am enjoying the connection and hope you can laugh too!
As today I also posted a Bombe recipe; Sparkling Mini Birthday Bombe Alaksa! WHOO HOO!
When I first visited Australia John cooked a lovely dinner and his idea of dessert was biting off opposite corners of a TimTam and using it as a straw with tawny port.
He was such a romantic in the olden days.
I’ve made ice magic with coconut oil and I thought it was fun too.
When I read this Lorraine, I thought I was thinking out loud!! I just looked at my 2 blocks of Copha sitting in my fridge & wondered what to do? haha…whoever said you had to love Science to make this delicious Tim Tam Bombe??? In our home, there’s always a pack or 2 of Double Choc Tim Tams in the fridge..my fave bix are Arnotts Lemon Crisp! looking so forward to making this Bombe! xx
We are not huge fans of Tim Tams in our family but my daughter has recently returned from a year long exchnage in Belgium and the two things she wanted in her care parcels were Tim Tams (yes, to THE land of chocolate) and Twisties. I just hope she didn’t eat them together
I think this is a perfect Australia Day dessert to welcome her home.
You are exceptional my friend – this dessert took my breath away
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Lorraine, this is outrageous.
Tim Tams AND ice cream. Perfection.
I don’t buy Tim Tams simply because I go through the pack in a sitting, despite claiming to be indifferent to both chocolate and Tim Tams.
This is the BEST THING EVER!! Love it love it love it. I need to hunt Tim Tam now – it’s hard to find them here.
How pretty the bomb Alaska looks! I’m incredibly surprised you don’t love TimTams – I fell in love from the moment they met my lips
This is absolutely gorgeous and not only I want to eat, but I want to keep it… just to look at this beauty!
I love this! I am so going to make an Ice Cream Bombe soon! It’s so simple but looks awesome. Tim Tams are good (there are better things ha) but I’m not a biscuit eater really. I use to LOVE Iced Vovos though mmm.
I also love your recipe for ice magic and I’m going to make some for my mum instead of the nasty bought stuff.
Ps. I hate science too
I never had tim tams, but can imagine how it would taste with the ice cream…crunchy and cream in every bite.
Have a great week Lorraine!
Never known what the fuss was all about over Tim Tams…can take them or leave them. (Was surprised how many people have said that in their comments.) BUT this dessert looks like a winner. Reckon I could be the top Grandma if I made this for the teenagers.
Had forgotten how good Milo and Ice Cream go together – used to often sprinkle it (or Ovaltine) on ice cream.
I laughed so hard when this came through this morning! So completely different from yesterday’s post. I love this blog. It’s the highlight of my day:) xox
Love this recipe, going to make it this weekend. Your school report sounds like mine, I still have nightmares about physics and chemistry!! I love Tim Tams but don’t buy them too often as I can’t stop at one. Your post has made me nostalgic for ice magic, my siblings and I loved it as children.
Now, that is a regular stunner of a dessert! I’ve been a sucker for Tim Tams since I was a kid and my grandfather gave me a packet from one of his trips. They’re what I nibble when the chips are down.
Wow that really looks da bomb! Love the idea of malted ice cream, and the chocolate sauce set beautifully! My favourite cookie’s gotta be Kingston!
I have always pictured you to be a top student! Sad to say equations make me brainfreeze. I can still remember my struggle in Calculus class where I had to imagine lines on a graphic paper as 3D curves and they had equations for that! I’m glad I don’t have to do it again. At least in the near future. I’ll just stick with eating!
I remember eating Tim Tams on our trip to Australia. I think the ones we bought had caramel and the kids gobbled them up in no time. So fun to use them in a bombe. Love the addition of the chocolate shell. xoxo Mum
I don’t know if there is an equivalent of Tim Tams here in US, but this dessert looks creamsational!!! Saving
I loved the part about Physics…..lol!!! I had economics in my Grad school, and most of that matter gave me brainfreeze. I have always had nightmares about not being able to complete a paper….
Love the waterslide story, Lorraine! You’re so bold with the recipes you take on and this bombe is no exception! Beautiful.
Oh so yummy Lorraine! Such a fun idea indeed, and that recipe for Ice Magic…. Wow! Thanks!
Huh! Australia Day. I should try and remember to make something for my housemates. Though seeing as it will be -18 *feels like* -28 tomorrow morning… probably not this.
THIS is going straight to the pool room!
I’m not good at Science at all. And I hated physics while I was at school..Love the waterslide story..I can imagine the look on your face as you were going down the slide!
The bombe looks lovely. And Tim tam flavoured one makes it so Australian. I love Tim Tams especailly the dark chocolate ones.. I have to keep myself away from them if not I’ll be munching on them all day..
you are brilliant.
So. Freaking. Brilliant.
tim tams are great! we had them over here for a short spell, and a lot of us got hooked.
I’ll be overseas when it’s Australia Day
So I don’t think I’m gonna be celebrating it any way too special but I might sing the National anthem to my nephew hahaha
I’m with you Lorraine, I’m not really a fan of Tim Tams either, they’re not bad…but I just don’t find them that ‘attractive’.
I love chewy cookies especially chocolate chip ones
Then I love all butter shortbread biscuits ~
Do you think you can send it to me?
Your dessert is ‘tha bomb`.Ok I ma not reading 60 comments to see if anyone else did such a tacky comment. Love tim tams, in Canada they are exotic! Cool I did not know how to make ice magic.
Tim Tam Bombe- Yay! Australia Day is tomorrow and I’m doing a fruit platter but needed something with a bit more “pizzaz!!” Now I have it! Thank you. LOVE your blog I’ve been reading it for ages – the kids are making mango and cream ice cream today as well- it’s all happening. LOL
Kathy
I love this Australian take on this dessert. Back in my wheat eating days living in London, Mum used to post over our Tim Tam rations on a regular basis. Not that they lasted very long!!
great Australia Day recipe – I love tim tams far more than ice cream and I am sure they would make any ice cream more attractive to me
oh man, I am making this to celebrate mothers day! will post it on my blog (and reference you of course) looks aaamazing!
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