Peanut Butter and Chocolate Praline Ice Cream Sandwiches

Preheat the oven to 350?F. Butter and flour a 9 X 5 X 3-inch loaf pan with 1/2 teaspoon of the butter and 1/2 teaspoon of the flour. † In a large mixing bowl, cream the remaining 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter and the sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Beat in the vanilla. † Into a medium-size mixing bowl, sift the remaining 1 1/2† cups flour, the cocoa, baking powder, and salt together. Add one third of the flour mixture at a time to the butter-and-sugar mixture, beating after each addition. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake until it springs back when touched, about 50 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and let cool completely on the rack. † After the ice cream is firm, remove it from the pan. Cut the ice cream into 16 slices. Place one slice of ice cream between two slices of pound cake, forming a sandwich. Repeat the process until all of the cake is used. Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap and freeze until ready to serve. † To serve, unwrap the sandwiches and serve each with a praline on the side. † Yield : 8 sandwiches