Super Easy Ice Cream Cake

Who doesn't like Ice Cream Cake?  I certainly do!  My niece, Katherine, has one every year on her birthday.  What a nice treat that is.  But for everyday eating, ice cream cakes cost a small fortune.   I priced them at a popular ice cream store and they run anywhere from $30-$50.  That's a lot of money for a cake, especially when they are so easy to make.  Of course, they may not look as fancy as store bought but they taste as good and can be made for just a few dollars. 

This is a super easy recipe requiring no baking or churning.  If you can open a cookie package and scoop ice cream you can make this cake.  Cookies and ice cream are always going on sale and along with the other ingredients a large 9-inch cake can be made for under ten dollars or not much more.  You may have ice cream sauce in your refrigerator already which will bring down the cost even more.

This recipe is very basic using only one flavour of ice cream and cookies.  You can certainly use different flavours of ice cream in each layer and mix up the cookies. You can add all kinds of goodies to the middle layer--think chopped chocolate bars, Smarties, M&Ms, peanut butter cups--the list is as long or short as your imagination.  But I stuck to the basics on this one.  You really can't mess up this ice cream cake.   Just don't let the ice cream melt too much while making the cake. 

Super Easy Ice Cream Cake

• 2 litres of your favourite ice cream, divided in half
• 1 package sandwich type cookies, about 24 cookies (Oreo, Fudgee.O, Maple Cream, etc.)
• ¼ cup melted butter 
• About ½ cup or more ice cream sauce/syrup or fruit sauce (chocolate, caramel, butterscotch, strawberry, etc.)
• 2 cups whipping cream, sweetened and whipped when needed 
• Extra cookies for garnish, optional

Notes: Remove ice cream from deep freezer for a few minutes before using it in the recipe.  My deep freezer freezes ice cream rock solid so a few minutes at room temperature softens it up to the right consistency.  If the ice cream is in my refrigerator freezer it is soft enough to use right away.

The cookies and ice cream syrup/sauce you choose should complement the ice cream flavour.  Don't use fresh fruit in place of the syrup/sauce because it will freeze hard as bullets and your teeth may not forgive you.

Now, on to the recipe!  

You will need a 9-inch springform pan.

Place 1 package of your chosen cookies in a blender or food processor and process until crumbs are formed.   Place the crumbs in a bowl and add the melted butter.  Mix thoroughly until the crumbs stick together.  Remove 1 cup of crumbs and reserve.

Lightly pat the remaining crumbs in the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.  If it is very warm in your kitchen, place the pan in the refrigerator for a few minutes so the crust can firm up a little before adding the ice cream.  

Working quickly, spread half of the ice cream over the crumb crust base.   Sprinkle ¾ cup of the reserved crumbs over the ice cream. Drizzle about half of the ice cream sauce over the crumbs.  Top with remaining ice cream.  Spread and smooth the top of the ice cream.  

Note: If your ice cream seems to be melting, cover the top with plastic wrap and place in the freezer until it has hardened.  It was a hot and muggy day so I left mine in the freezer overnight and finished it the next day.  

On the top of the cake, spread the remaining ice cream syrup/sauce.  You may wish to make a fancy design or spread it evenly.  Decorate the edges with the remaining ¼ cup of cookie crumbs.  Place in the freezer until frozen very solid.  

When ready to serve whip the cream to stiff peaks with 2-4 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Remove the cake from the spring form pan and place on serving plate. Frost and decorate with the whipped cream.  Garnish with extra cookies if you wish.  Place the decorated cake back in the freezer until just a few minutes before serving.  Slice and enjoy.

Makes 10-12 servings. 

 I used Fudgee.O cookies today.

This is the 300 gram size and contains 24 cookies.  You will use the whole package plus a few more for garnish if you wish.

Crush the cookies in a blender or food processor.  If you don't own a power machine use a rolling pin and large zip lock bag.

Mix the crumbs with the melted butter.

 The crumbs should stick together quite nicely.  Take out 1 cup of crumbs and reserve.

Lightly pack the crumbs into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.  You may line the pan with plastic wrap or parchment paper if you wish to remove the bottom of the pan from the cake before serving.
 

 Chapman's ice cream was on sale this week and in the brick form.  

The brick makes it so easy to divide in half.

It was easy to slice each piece and lay the slices on the crumb crust.

Spread out the ice cream to make a smooth and even layer.

Use ¾ cup of the reserved crumbs to sprinkle on top of the ice cream.  Drizzle with ice cream sauce/syrup.  I used butterscotch.  Use as much as you think you'd like.  

Cover the middle layer with the remaining ice cream. At this stage, if your ice cream is melting too fast, cover the top with plastic wrap and put it in the freezer to harden.  It was a very hot day when I started making my cake so I left mine in the freezer overnight.

You are now ready for the topping and a few more crumbs.  I was going to make a lovely design on the top of my cake using the butterscotch topping.  I put it in a sandwich bag and snipped off the corner.  This is about as far as I got when the bag broke and what a mess I had.  Use a heavy freezer bag or a plastic piping bag if you want to get fancy.  Sandwich bags do not work!

Of course, as soon as the butterscotch sauce hit the cold ice cream it became too hard to spread.  I pulled and stretched it around the top the best I could.  I eventually covered a little more area  before I spread the crumbs.  This will not affect the flavour of the cake.  You really can't mess this up.  (You can make it messy which is quite different than messing it up!)

You should have ¼ cup of crumbs remaining.

Sprinkle the last ¼ cup of crumbs around the edge of the cake.  (You can sprinkle them anywhere you like and it will still taste great.) Cover the top with plastic wrap and put the cake back in the freezer while you whip the cream or it can be frozen a few hours before you are ready to frost and serve.

Whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla until you have stiff peaks.  

It's always good to have a helper in the kitchen!  Lori was quite interested in the cream.  She informed me that mommy always let her have a taste of the cream when they bake together.  Of course, nanny gave Lori a taste or two or three, also. 

When you are ready to frost the cake, remove it from the springform pan.  I ran a knife around the inside of the pan to help it release.  I came away quite nicely.

You may remove the bottom of the pan from the cake if you have lined it with plastic or parchment paper. I left the bottom of the pan under my cake but when I make another ice cream cake I think I'll line the pan so the cake can sit right on the serving plate.  Place the cake on a serving plate and frost and decorate with the whipped cream. 

When the cake is frosted and decorated you may place it in the freezer for half an hour or so to let the cream freeze and harden.  It will be easier to serve this way.  As you can see I used a few extra cookies from a second package to decorate to top of the cake.  You could also use chopped chocolate bars, chocolate curls, Smarties, M&Ms, etc. or leave it plain. 

Here's the first slice.  I ran the blade of the knife under hot water and wiped it dry before making each cut.  The warm knife really helped with cutting into this cake.

Finally, Peter gets his piece of the cake.  I was cutting and serving and barely got a chance to get a picture. 

 This Super Easy Ice Cream Cake is Lori approved!

Your family will be thrilled when you make this

 Super Easy Ice Cream Cake.

What a treat!