My Famous Ice Cream Cake!
Since Mike’s birthday will ALWAYS be in August and he ALWAYS wants an ice cream cake … I am doomed to make this once per year. After 5 years of failed ice cream cakes I have finally fine-tuned the process, so at least now I don’t have to be embarrassed every year. I decided to document the process here in case anyone else has ever had the burning desire to make a homemade ice cream cake. Maybe after viewing this you will realize why Baskin Robbins charges so freaking much!
Here are the items you need to purchase:
- Devils food cake mix
- Cookies and cream ice cream (1 quart)
- Vanilla ice cream (1 pint is enough)
- 1 tub of chocolate frosting (for decorations)
- Whatever candles you desire (optional, but recommended)
- 2 cans of diet coke to keep you sane while you cook
PHASE ONE - start the night before
Bake your devils food cake mix according to the box directions into two round pans. Try to ignore the fact that the cakes look like boobs here, and that my stove is filthy. I had ice cream cake on my mind, not CLEANING.
For some reason unknown to me, cakes always have a huge hump on the top. Learning from past experience, layer cakes made out of humped layers do NOT work. So I take a bread knife and slice the humped part off trying to make both cakes as flat as possible. Take a minute here to wash one of the cake pans, you will need it later.
Place one layer of cake onto a cake plate. Take your tub of chocolate frosting and ice the entire top of this layer. Then take the second layer of cake and set it on top of the icing.
Take the combined cake layers and put them into the freezer for at least 4 hours, but overnight is better. You want the cake to be frozen solid, it’s yummier that way.
Let your cookies and cream ice cream sit out and melt for quite a while. You want it to be extremely pliable. Dump the entire carton into that cleaned cake pan and smooth it out until it is perfectly flat. Place the ice cream layer in the freezer for at least 4 hours but overnight is better. Now you can relax for a bit until we start phase two.
PHASE TWO - the next day
Remove the ice cream layer from the freezer. Fill up your sink about one inch full of hot water. Dip the ice cream pan into the water being careful not to let the water come over the top edge. This will loosen the ice cream enough that you can shimmy it out using a spatula. Don’t worry if it loses a little bit of its shape.
Carefully place the ice cream layer on top of the cake layers. It will be a little bit soft due to the hot water. At this point you should go around the edges with a spatula and make sure the ice cream layer doesn’t stick out too far over the cake layer. I even shaved some pieces off with a knife to get it just right. I think the cake contracts in the pan so it ends up being a bit smaller than the ice cream layer. Once you get it nice and even, put the entire thing back in the freezer to let it solidify.
Here is the biggest secret. Once the layers are re-frozen and solidly in place, ice the entire cake with vanilla ice cream. Yes I’m serious. Let it get a little bit soft, and then mix in some milk until it is a smooth creamy consistency. It will be spreadable just like icing but it will actually stick to the frozen cake and ice cream. It feels like a miracle if you have ever tried to ice an ice cream cake with normal icing …
Add decorative icing to write and design whatever you want. Again, I am just using a standard tub of store-bought chocolate frosting. I’m also using my fun cake icing kit that I accidentally bought Mike for our anniversary the week before 
Here I am with the cake, fully decorated including the delightful number candles. I am awfully proud of myself 
Birthday boy. He is probably laughing remembering my disasters of previous years.
The final product! Looks like it’s from a magazine or something huh?
P.S. Did I tell you the kids LOVED it too! Don’t ask me how Mikey ended up with a piece that big. I think his dad was dishing them out …
Hope you had as much fun reading about my adventures as I had documenting them. If you try to make an ice cream cake using my directions I would LOVE to have you come back here and comment and let me know how it goes.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Jodie, that looks absolutely fabulous! I am thouroughly impressed. Thats the first pic I have seen of you and your hair is sooo long! Last time I saw you (over 4 years ago) it was short. You look great by the way.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Thanks Tami! Ya I hacked my hair off right before I got pregnant with Mikey. Haven’t really cut it since then. This is the longest it’s ever been. Thanks for staying in touch
September 4th, 2008 at 8:44 am
Oh dear, now I want to make it so bad. It is my grandma’s birthday….maybe I will to celebrate!!
September 21st, 2008 at 9:56 pm
Hey if you ever want to learn a really simple way to make one, just let me know.
September 21st, 2008 at 9:56 pm
But yours looks great and very yummy!
September 22nd, 2008 at 8:37 pm
Wow, this looks fabulous, and I am so excited to try it! My husband loves ice cream cake as well, but I have not attempted a homemade one yet. This has definitely given me the extra push to take the plunge. FYI, cakes (and muffins, etc.) rise a lot more in the middle when the batter has been stirred too much. It creates too much gluten and causes the “pores” in the cake to be uneven and the weird middle rising. Not that it will ever be totally flat or anything, but you get the idea.
October 22nd, 2008 at 7:34 am
My visiting teacher sent me the link to your site. You’re doing a great job here!
I also have a family that loves ice cream cakes. One trick I discovered is to line the cake pan with plastic wrap before filling it with the softened ice cream. That way you don’t have to deal with the “dip it in hot water” step, just lift the edges of the plastic wrap, flip onto the cake, and then remove the plastic. Have fun celebrating many more birthdays!
May 29th, 2009 at 7:45 am
Hi Jodi - I did a search for “ice cream cake” and your blog pulled up. I laughed outloud reading your story of how to build this cake! You are too funny. My step son’s favorite dessert is ice cream cake with chocolate chip mint … I am going to start making this tonight for his graduation party tomorrow. WISH ME LUCK! I’ll be thinking of you … as well as drinking my two diet cokes! (and maybe some wine) : )
Best -
Molly
Atlanta, Georgia
July 2nd, 2009 at 3:41 pm
Hi Jodi,
I just wanted to thank you for this great recipe. I made it for my son’s 5th birthday yesterday and it was a hit and much cheaper than Baskin Robbins. Oh, and I somehow came across your blog from your Food Storage blog. thanks, again.
July 15th, 2009 at 11:26 am
Hi Jodi.
i notice you were questioning the hump the cake makes after baking. there is actually a tool, well more like a wrap you place around your pan and i dont know how it works, but if you soak the wrap and wrap it around your pan, your cake wont have the hump. you can buy it at michaels craft store in the baking isle.
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:52 am
Why not use a springform pan rather than putting it in water ?
December 23rd, 2009 at 10:07 am
I will try the vanilla ice cream for icing trick. The recipe I’m using calls for Cool Whip and I’m not a fan. As to the cake bump - try pushing the batter to the edges before baking - your pan starts with a dip in the middle. Doesn’t always completely remove the bump but lessens the amount you’ll be trimming.
December 30th, 2009 at 6:52 pm
Hi there. I love your directions for the ice cream cake- I can’t wait to try it- I love your tip about the icing! One thing I can teach you is about BAKE EVEN CAKE STRIPS. They are the best cake item anyone can EVER own. You can buy them at Michael’s or Joann’s or Hobby Lobby and be sure to find a 40% coupon. You can also buy them at Wilton.com and here is the link: http://www.wilton.com/store/site/product.cfmid=3E3D620-475A-BAC0-592117323818A1AA&killnav=1
They force the cake to not cook as fast from the outside so the middle doesn’t rise above the edges. You can even pin more than one together to go around bigger pans or buy the bigger set and just wrap and wrap them around your pans. It doesn’t hurt a thing. I just soak them in a measuring cup while I am making my cake and then follow directions and put them around the outside of my pan after I have tapped away my cake bubbles. Good luck. Let me know what you think of my cakes if you get a chance. I have been doing cakes for about 3 years and teaching for 2 years now. Bye! Colleen
February 1st, 2010 at 3:25 am
Hi Jodi,
I want to make my boyfriend an ice cream cake for valentin’s day. I pretty much have everything down packed but the icing part. If I add milk to the vanilla ice cream won’t that make a milk shake? I don’t get it….. Please help!
February 21st, 2010 at 1:13 pm
thanks for the great info! (and laughs that came with it!) my sons birthday is tuesday and he wants an ice cream cake, now i know how to do it haha!
May 17th, 2010 at 12:37 pm
I really want to make an ice cream cake because I LOVE THEM and I tried a really long time ago and it just tasted really weird. The cake was dry because of being frozen instead of moist
Does the cake go dry from being frozen? How do you store it? And can you put the ice cream in the center instead of on the top, or would that cause problems?
Thanks
August 5th, 2010 at 11:12 am
Wonderful Ice Cream Cake.
Just wanted to let you know that the reason why the cake bumps is because the ovens temperature is slightly too high. If you are cooking it at 350, try 325 instead
September 12th, 2010 at 3:25 pm
THANK YOU! This detailed post was the answer to my ice cream cake prayers! I had no idea how to make one and relatively no time either, but I think I’ve all but pulled it off– once I get the ice cream icing on we’ll know!
October 25th, 2010 at 11:33 am
great cake. I just had one bit of advice (its easier, i think) When you cut the top off the cake, instead of trying to keep things even with a knife… use a piece of string. cut it long enough to be longer than the cake, and to have some to wrap around your fingers. Put it on the opposite end of the cake and saw the sting a little to get it started, then slowely pull toward you. Keep your eyes on both sides to make sure the string stays level. It makes cutting the cakes soooo much easier.
February 16th, 2011 at 6:34 pm
I made this for my boyfriends birthday & it was awesome! But I do have one question, when I tried to apply decorative frosting it just kept sliding right off. I couldn’t get it to stick! Any ideas? I was just using chocolate butter cream.
May 12th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
I made this for a birthday and it was an absolute success, people thought I was a baking goddess! Thanks for sharing such a simple and delicious recipe!
June 19th, 2011 at 12:35 am
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July 16th, 2011 at 3:08 pm
I have always wondered how to make my own ice cream cake. I bookmarked your recipe, it looks super good!
July 18th, 2011 at 8:37 am
Hi there!
I just finished making this for my brother’s birthday and it turned out great! We usually buy an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins every year but I think that this one has been the best by far!
I loved your step by step instructions as well as the pictures. Thanks you for posting this
From one baker to another- Char
July 22nd, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I made this for my own birthday since ice cream cakes are my favorite. I followed it step by step and it came out great! I even add mini chocolate chips into the ice cream (round dish) before I froze it, so it had an extra surprise layer! I love the pictures … they really help and make it so much easier to follow along!!
Sara
August 4th, 2011 at 12:23 pm
this looks INCREDIBLE.. one question, i was wondering, you say use the entire tub of ice cream for the cookies and cream part, and the tub pictured is a half gallon, but the recipe calls for a quart. i am assuming its a half gallon? either way i’m making this asap, thanks much
August 5th, 2011 at 3:34 pm
To Ben, I thought the boxes were called quarts. So whatever size comes in the box is perfect. Next week is time for my annual cake fest for hubby’s birthday. I’m shopping this week for it
September 2nd, 2011 at 2:26 am
Hello there! I just did a test run for my son’s first birthday, it turned out really well! Thankyou for posting this up.