How to Build an Ice-Cream Cake

There are so many reasons to love ice-cream cakes! Whether it’s the indulgent concoction of ingredients, the multitude of layers or that you get to have cake and ice cream together, it’s a smart dessert to make because they’re easy, can be made ahead and are sure to bring smiles.

WHAT’S YOUR CAKE?

The cake for your ice-cream cake may or may not be cake at all! Look at all the options here for your “cake” layer. Start with a fully cooled cake before adding other ingredients:

Single layer cake (prepared or store bought)

Regular, Angel food, Pound cake

You can also split a single layer cake to have two thinner layers by cutting it horizontally in half with a serrated knife. Partially freeze the cake before cutting to have less crumbs.

Brownies, Graham crackers

Crushed cookies mixed with melted butter—about 4 cups crushed cookies to ½ cup melted butter. Press in the bottom of a 13 × 9-inch pan. The butter will make the cookie layer set up when frozen.

Snack cakes, Doughnuts, Ice-cream sandwiches

Get creative with delicious treats from your grocery store or bakery.

SIMPLE LAYERS

Make your ice-cream cake stand out with a few simple layers. Add these in one or more layers to your stand-out cake:

• Caramel sauce

• Chocolate sauce (stays soft) or fudge topping (holds its shape when frozen)

• Chopped nuts or candy bars—For chewy candy

• Crushed cookies or hard candies

• Jelly or jam—These are fairly easy to spread; preserves typically have too much fruit to make them spreadable.

• Sprinkles

ICE CREAM

Use just one ice cream flavor, or mix and match ice cream, sherbet and frozen yogurt for fun flavor and color combinations.

•Soften ice cream slightly before spreading, either on the counter at room temperature or using your microwave if it has a button for softening ice cream.

•For even more texture and flavor, add chopped fruit, nuts, crumbled cookies or chopped candy bars to the softened ice cream before spreading on the cake.

•You may need to allow the frozen ice-cream cake to soften again before serving so it’s easier to cut and eat.

TOPPING

Finish off the top of your ice-cream cake like a pro! Add one or more of the following:

•Fudge topping layer with whipped cream dollops sprinkled with toasted coconut or finely chopped nuts

•Sweetened Whipped Cream with sprinkles, chopped candy bars or crushed cookies.

ONE MORE LAYER

Serve pieces of your ice-cream cake drizzled with chocolate sauce or fudge, caramel or butterscotch topping. Or drizzle with one kind and then drizzle with another! (Can you ever have too much?)