The excitement and magic of deep-fried ice-cream was not lost on me as a child. How could they possibly stick perfect balls of cold ice-cream into screaming hot oil without them melting into oblivion?

The secret, I have learned, is in the coating, which can come in many forms but I quite like the idea of sandwiching the ice-cream between moist Madeira cake and forming them into perfect little balls.

These little showstoppers can be prepared in advance, kept in the freezer and dropped into hot oil when you are ready to serve. Serve with a generous drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds for complete perfection.

Remove the edges of the Madeira cake and cut into slices, 1cm in thickness.

Scoop even rounds of vanilla ice-cream and sandwich together between two slices of Madeira cake lightly soaked in milk.

If the ice-cream is too soft, scoop out balls and place in the freezer for 30 minutes before sandwiching with the Madeira slices. Squeeze the slices around the ice-cream into an even ball and place in a large container.

Repeat with the remaining slices and then seal the container and transfer to the freezer to rest for 30-40 minutes.

Place the biscuit crumbs on a plate and beat the eggs in a bowl.

Toss the ice-cream balls in egg, shaking off the excess, followed by biscuit crumbs. Place back in the container and freeze for a further 40 minutes.

Fill a high-sided frying pan with sunflower oil approximately 6-8cm deep and heat until 375°F/190°C.

Working in batches of 2-3 balls, fry for one minute or until just golden brown. Remove from the oil and drain on kitchen paper.

Serve immediately with another scoop of ice-cream, a drizzle of honey and a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds.