Vanilla Ice Cream Cake Recipe

This vanilla ice cream cake recipe is so easy to make – complete with chocolate crunchies and all.

In December, we have a few birthdays to celebrate. Since my family prefers ice cream cake over regular birthday cake, I usually buy one from the supermarket or our local ice cream store.

But as this past December was closing out, we still had two tubs of vanilla ice cream left over from THANKSGIVING, of all things.

The practical side of me had a really hard time with the idea of going out and buying an expensive ice cream cake when I had ice cream languishing in the freezer.

So, I thought – why not try my hand at making my own. Even though I had to buy a few things to make it happen, I figured in total I would save money and use up ingredients that I had on hand.

Happily, the recipe came out really well and tasted delicious.

But keep in mind that the images that I am sharing with you are real life photos – meaning they are not all staged and magazine-y.

Honestly, when I make something good, it doesn’t really last very long in our house – certainly not long enough to photograph perfectly – which is a good thing, I think.

I also don’t plan to make a homemade vanilla ice cream cake on a daily or weekly basis – because I don’t need all those calories.

So here goes.

Things You Will Need To Make This Vanilla Ice Cream Cake Recipe

• 8 inch springform pan
• gallon sized ziploc bag
• meat mallet
• large mixing bowl
• stiff spatula
• stand mixer with whisk attachment
• silicone frosting bulbs

How to Make a Homemade Ice Cream Cake

The first thing you will need is an 8 inch springform pan. I imagine a nonstick version would be a good choice, but mine is ancient and does not have a nonstick coating.

I used two 1.5 containers of vanilla ice cream in total.

Make the First Layer

The first thing I did was to thaw one tub of the vanilla ice cream on the counter until it was still frozen but soft enough to mix into a smooth consistency. You don’t want it to melt into a liquid.

This would be my first layer.

Make the Chocolate Crunchies

While the ice cream was thawing, I worked on making a layer of chocolate crunchies to go in between the two ice cream layers.

To make the crunchies I used chocolate graham crackers and chocolate ice cream topping that hardens when it gets cold. A common brand of this is Smuckers Magic Shell.

The easiest way to crush the chocolate graham crackers is to seal them in a gallon sized ziploc bag, place the bag on a large cutting board to protect your counter and pound them up a bit with the smooth side of a meat mallet.

Dump the chocolate graham cracker crumbs into a small mixing bowl, squeeze in the Magic Shell, and mix it all up.

As the ice cream approaches the right consistency, dump it into a large mixing bowl and stir it up with a stiff spatula.

Then smooth it into the bottom of the springform pan in an even layer.

Next sprinkle half of your chocolate crunchies mixture in a nice thick layer on top of your first vanilla layer. 

Now place these in the freezer for an hour or more so they can firm up for a bit.

While this is happening go about your day – this vanilla ice cream cake recipe involves some waiting between phases.

You can leave the other half of your chocolate crunchies mixture out at room temperature until the next step.

Make the Second Layer

Once enough time has passed for the first ice cream layer to become full frozen, you can put the second tub of vanilla ice cream out to soften up.

Using the same method, when the tub of ice cream is at the right consistency, dump it into mixing bowl and smooth it out by stirring with a stiff spatula.

Spread this ice cream evenly on top of the crunchies layer in your springform pan. 

Now top this ice cream layer with the other half of your chocolate crunchies.

Put the pan back in the freezer to firm up and set again.

Once the entire vanilla ice cream cake is frozen up nicely, you can make the whipped cream frosting for the sides – but make sure to keep the cake in the freezer until you are ready to frost it.

Make the Whipped Cream Frosting

Take one pint of heavy cream and whip it using the whisk attachment for your stand mixer.

Whisk it  on high until there are stiff peaks. Then whisk in about 3 tablespoons powdered sugar and one teaspoon vanilla.

I don’t like to make the frosting too sweet because there is enough sugar in the ice cream and the crunchies. But if you prefer a sweeter taste you can add more sugar.

Next dissolve 2 teaspoons of unflavored gelatin (my box of gelatin had 4 individual packets inside – one of these packets is about 2 teaspoons exactly) in 3 tablespoons of hot water. This gelatin mixture should be a liquid consistency – if not, put in the microwave for a few seconds.

Whisk the dissolved gelatin into the whipped cream.

Remove the Cake from the Pan

Now, take the ice cream cake out of the freezer and unbuckle the springform pan. Loosen the edges with a plastic knife if necessary and remove the outer ring.

I left my homemade vanilla ice cream cake on the disk from the springform pan because I didn’t want to mess it up by trying to separate the two. But if you are not serving the cake at home, then you may need to try your hand at removing the bottom disk.

Frost the Ice Cream Cake

Take your whipped cream frosting and carefully spread it evenly all over the sides of the cake.

Try not to get too many crunchies mixed into the frosting. It’s a little tricky.

Use a piping bag or silicone frosting bulbs to pipe a decorative edge around the top and bottom of the cake.

Once you have frosted the ice cream cake, place it back in the freezer for the frosting to set.

As you can see, there is a lot of waiting and in and out of the freezer with this recipe. But, it is relatively easy to make. There is no baking involved at all.

Enjoy!

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