HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE ICE CREAM CAKE

This easy homemade ice cream cake tutorial can be made into many different ice cream cakes. Learn how to make basic ice cream cake that you will love even more than store-bought ice cream cakes.

When its hot outside, sometimes a traditional cake can feel too heavy for dessert. So, what to do when you have an occasion to celebrate and need a cake? Homemade ice cream cake for the win! Try this delicious and healthy dessert recipe for your next warm-weather celebration (or any time!).

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WHY MAKE ICE CREAM CAKE?

We recently celebrated my daughter’s second birthday, and being that it was in the high 80s and late July, I wanted to make an ice cream cake for her.

I had tried my hand at ice cream cake a few different times in the last year. My first success was John, my husband’s, birthday and it turned out so great. He actually said it was better than regular, store-bought ice cream cake.

Ice cream has never been my favorite sweet food, but my mind has changed after making this ice cream cake over and over.

I’ve tried many varieties of ice cream and cake, and my favorite combination is the one I’m sharing here. It’s basic chocolate cake with homemade raspberry ice cream.

What I love about homemade ice cream cake is you can control the ingredients. Most store-bought ice cream has canola oil, corn syrup, and even artificial flavors or colors. Yuck! No need for that.

Try making your own ice cream cake and you will be surprised with how great it really is.

TIPS FOR MAKING HOMEMADE ICE CREAM CAKE

Be patient – this might take you one or two tries to get right. At first, for me, the concept of ice cream cake was foreign. How do you get the ice cream on top of the cake and then mold them together? But trust me, once you do this one time, you’ll never go back to regular cakes again. My first ice cream cake still turned out, but the second and later ones were even better once I knew what I was doing.

Make this ahead of time. This cake does take longer than regular cakes to make, but here’s the thing. Because this cake lives in the freezer, you can make it ahead of time and eat later. This makes it SO easy to prepare for a birthday party or event when you don’t want stay up late the night before making a cake, which is what I normally do!

Go for a creamy ice cream. Like I said, my favorite ice cream for this cake is this homemade raspberry ice cream. That recipe contains egg yolks, which make it a creamy ice cream that freezes well with the cake. On the contrary, I’ve tried my hand at a chocolate peanut butter ice cream, and the thickness of the peanut butter did not work out well on the cake (it was delicious, just too hard to slice up without totally thawing out), so avoid that type of cake.

Make homemade whipped cream to frost the entire cake together. This will set well in the freezer and tastes so delicious.

Make the cake portion and the ice cream cake portion of this recipe days or even months in advance if you want. Then, combine them, frost the whole thing, and that can be put in the freezer for a long time as well.

Take the ice cream cake out of the freezer 30 minutes to an hour before slicing it.

Before slicing the cake, run a sharp knife under hot water for a minute. This will make slicing easier.

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TOOLS NEEDED

Two cake pans of the same size. I use 9” cake pans when making homemade ice cream cake.

Ice Cream Maker (if making homemade ice cream)

Plastic Wrap

Freezer

Sharp Knife for cutting (this is our favorite knife. Use code DUVALLHOMESTEAD for a discount too!)

Stand up mixer or hand mixer for whipped cream frosting

Ingredients for Homemade Ice Cream Cake

This is for a two layer ice cream cake (meaning one cake layer and one ice cream layer. For a 4 layer ice cream cake, double the ingredients below and repeat the process two times to make the four layer cake)

One, 9″ prepared cake. You can prepare a cake ahead of time and put it in the freezer until you’re ready to make the rest of the ice cream cake.

About 2 pints of store-bought ice cream, or this homemade ice cream recipe will fill the 9″ cake layer perfectly.

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE ICE CREAM CAKE

First, prepare your cake in a 9” cake pan. I like a basic chocolate or vanilla cake recipe, but sourdough strawberry cake or even einkorn carrot cake would be great in this recipe too.

Once your cake is done baking, let it cool completely. Then, remove it from the cake pan and wrap it in plastic wrap. Place it in the freezer overnight.

Next, prepare the ice cream. You can make homemade ice cream using an ice cream maker or buy two pints of store-bought ice cream.

Line the second 9” cake pan with plastic wrap. Scoop or pour the ice cream into the second 9” cake pan. It helps if the ice cream has thawed out a little.

Cover the ice cream cake with plastic wrap and place in the freezer overnight. This will allow the ice cream portion to freeze in the shape of a cake.

The next day, prepare the frosting. For a basic whipped cream frosting recipe, combine 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, 1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract, and 3 tbsp sugar in a stand up mixer and blend until whipped cream is formed. This frosting is easy, delicious, and freezes well on the cake.

Meanwhile, get the cake and the ice cream from the freezer. Find a cake serving platter, or whatever you are going to serve your cake on, for this next step.

Unwrap the frozen cake and place it on the cake serving platter. Then, unwrap the ice cream portion and place it on top. Now, it helps if both the cake and the ice cream are completely flat on both sides so they sit nicely with no gaps. If you have some gaps, you can use a knife to shave off some of the cake or ice cream to create flat sides.

Cover the entire cake with the whipped cream mixture. Add toppings of choice and return the entire cake to the freezer. Remove from the freezer about 1 hour before you’re ready to serve the cake. Enjoy!

BASIC WHIPPED CREAM FROSTING RECIPE:

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tbsp vanilla extract

3 tbsp sugar

Add all ingredients to a stand up mixer and blend for several minutes, until a thick whipped cream forms.

MORE DESSERTS FROM THE HOMESTEAD

Sourdough Strawberry Birthday Cake

Homemade Raspberry Ice Cream

Homemade Strawberry Cream Popsicles

Einkorn Chocolate Chip Brownies

Pumpkin Cookies with Sourdough Discard

Sourdough Einkorn Peach Cobbler

Sourdough Chocolate Cupcakes with Buttercream Frosting

FAQ

Can I use regular frosting on an ice cream cake?

You want to use a frosting that will freeze well. Typically butter-based frosting will not work as well on ice cream cakes because their rich fat content will make them hard to cut into. My favorite frosting is a simple homemade whipped cream. It’s delicious and cuts well out of the freezer.

How to make your own ice cream at home?

Homemade ice cream is easy to make. Combine milk, cream, fruit or other natural flavor like vanilla or cocoa powder, and a sweetener like honey or sugar. I like to add egg yolks as well to create a creamy, rich ice cream. Then you will just add the mixture to an ice cream maker that has been sitting in the freezer, turn it on, and wait for the ice cream to form.

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