An abundance of chocolate makes the cake

Like a gigantic frozen truffle, the chocolate ganache ice cream cake ($22.99 for a 6-inch cake) from J.P. Licks is a little bit over the top. Chocolate ice cream is covered with dense, glossy gana che, then sprinkled with shaved chocolate and garnished with delicate pirouline cookies. A sliver will satisfy anyone, but unless you serve the entire cake, the white box will mock you from the freezer until you've made the edges ragged by chipping away at them, bite by bite. At that point, it's best to haul the thing out and neaten it up with a big, clean slice. J.P. Licks, 659 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, 617-524-6740; 352 Newbury St., Boston, 617-236-1666; 311 Harvard St., Brookline, 617-738-8252; 1 Brigham Circle, Boston, 617-566-6676; 46 Langley Road, Newton, 617-244-0666; 4A College Ave., Somerville, 617-666-5079; 661 VFW Parkway, 617-325-1516. -- LEIGH BELANGER

The latest news in scoops

With ice cream, sometimes bowls and scoops are superfluous. It's often you, the spoon, the pint, and the couch. Not pretty. But there's always tomorrow, when you can call your friends for a backyard barbecue and serve ice cream sprinkled with cute jimmies in cute bowls with cute spoons. And don't forget cute scoops for serving. With easy-grip pastel handles in green, pink, blue, and yellow, and chrome-plated zinc scoops, these accessories ($9.95) will help project your pulled-together aura. Just don't forget to retrieve last night's empty pint container from under the couch. Available at Crate & Barrel stores or www.crateandbarrel.com. -- LEIGH BELANGER

Sauce bedecks sundae best

Say "sundae" and the first thing that usually comes to mind is hot fudge -- or rather, rich, thick, chocolatey sauce that seems to be vanilla ice cream's biggest champion. Longtime sundae aficionados may remember Bailey's Ice Cream sundaes -- known for the copious sauce - to - ice cream ratio. Christopher Flynn, owner of Prides Crossing Confections in Beverly , remembers Bailey's, as does Jim Downs, who used to work for Bailey's and now works for Flynn. ``He's unbelievable," says Flynn of his employee. ``He knows so much." Including a recipe for a hot fudge sauce that has a Bailey's quality. When cold, the sauce is so thick you can stand a spoon in it. Heat it and ladle over scoops of ice cream, and it becomes that perfect delectable fudgy consistency required of great sauce. At Prides Crossing, the sauce comes in 12-ounce glass jars ($8). Prides Crossing Confections, 590 Hale St., Beverly, 978-927-2185, www.pridescrossingconfections.com. -- LISE STERN

The ice cream cone gets a touch of glass

Ever wish your ice cream cone would last all day? Well, since it won't, you'll have to settle for the longevity of a cone glass, which is the size and shape of a cake cone complete with a flat bottom and waffle-ridged sides (about $2 to $2.50 each in sets of 4 to 12) . So scoop one full of your favorite flavor, hold as you would a traditional cone, and start licking. You'll want a spoon on hand for the hard-to-reach parts. And clean up is easier ; you can simply place these cones in the dishwasher and refill them when your next craving hits. Available at Sur La Table, the Mall at Chestnut Hill, 199 Boylston St., 617-244-0213, www.surlatable.com; or go to www.target.com. -- EMILY SCHWAB