As a kid, my brother always wanted an ice cream cake for his birthday. It is in early September, so the weather was usually still pretty warm and an ice cream cake really hit the spot. This treat was usually procured from a local ice cream chain and as a kid, they were great, but as an adult, I can make one that is way better…
The cake layers…
When it comes to making your own ice cream cake, you make the process as easy or as involved as you want. You can make the entire thing from scratch, get everything from the store or do a little bit of both.
For the cake layers, I am making my chocolate olive oil loaf cake (it is simple and fantastic!), but I have made this cake with a clementine cake, banana bread and a vanilla pound cake from my grocery stores bakery. It all depends on what you want your overall flavor profile to be.
Once you bake or bring your cake home, make sure it is fully cooled and then slice it horizontally into 3 equal portions.
I have always had the most success using a serrated knife to slice a loaf like this. If the cake you are using is particularly tender or soft, you can chill it in the freezer until it firms up a bit, which will make it easier to slice.
The ice cream layers…
Whenit comes to the ice cream, you will need 2 pints and they should be softened down to an easily spreadable consistency. The flavors are totally up to you! My only recommendation is nothing that has big chunks of candy in the mix, because those pieces may make the cake tough to slice later on.
If you want to make your own ice cream for this cake, I highly suggest my chocolate almond chip ice cream!
Have fun with the flavors! I am pairing chocolate and chocolate chip ice cream with my chocolate loaf cake today, because its my husbands birthday and he wants chocolate, more chocolate and nothing but chocolate, but there are so many fun pairing to do here!
Vanilla cake with butter pecan ice cream, my clementine cake with vanilla ice cream, a pumpkin loaf with spiced or rum ice cream… the pairings are endlessly delicious… and fun!
Assembling your ice cream cake…
Now that you have your ingredients all picked out, it is time to assemble your ice cream cake.
- Step #1 – lightly grease a loaf pan and line it with several intersecting layers of plastic wrap. Leave several inches over hanging on both sides to both cover the cake while it freezes and help you lift the cake out of the pan later on.
- Step #2 – place the bottom slice of the cake into the base of the pan and pull any excess plastic wrap from under it. Smooth out the sides as best you can to make sure the cake will be fully lined in plastic as it is assembled.
- Step #3 – add a pint of softened ice cream over the first slice and spread it out evenly
- Step #4 – place the middle slice of cake in next and press it down a bit to ensure that no air is trapped between the layers
- Step #5 – add your second pint of softened ice cream and spread it evenly all the way out to the edges of the pan
- Step #6 – place the top layer of cake over the ice cream and if it has a tall dome over it, use a sharp knife to flatten the top out a bit. This is cosmetic and just an excuse to snack on some of the cake while the ice cream cake sets up, but I find a flat top easier to frost or decorate later on.
- Step #7 – use the over hanging plastic wrap to cover the top of the cake tightly and freeze the cake until it is completely set. This usually takes 4 hours or more.
Now all you need to do is transfer the ice cream cake out of the pan and dress it up a little…
This cake should lift out of the pan easily, but if it does end up feeling stuck, don’t panic! Simply use a blow dryer to warm the outside of the pan a little until it releases. Easy peasy.
You can top this cake with a simple whipped cream and shaved chocolate like I did today or use traditional cake frosting. You actually don’t even need to add anything to the ice cream cake, because the beauty is really in the side view of the slices anyway…
Would you just look at those layers? The cake layers soften up within a few minutes of taking a slice out of the freezer, so slice it up while everything is still firm and if you have any extra chocolate shavings or sprinkles laying around, toss them on the slices!
Whether you go classic chocolate, orange and vanilla, coffee and rum… making an ice cream cake is so much fun and the next time you want to make someone a very special birthday cake or a treat to celebrate any occasion, they will love this one!
Ice Cream Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Loaf Cake
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup of olive oil
- 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup of brown sugar
- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons of espresso powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon of salt
- 1 cup of strongly brewed coffee, hot
Whipped Cream Topping
- 1 cup of heavy cream, cold
- 2 tablespoons of confectioners sugar
- 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
Assembly Ingredients
- 2 pints of ice cream, softened
- chocolate, shavings
- sprinkles
Instructions
Make the cake layer...
- Preheat your oven to 350°
- Grease a loaf pan, line with parchment paper and set aside for now
- In a large bowl, whisk 2 large eggs with 1/2 cup of olive oil and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
- Add 3/4 cup of granulated sugar and 3/4 cup of brown sugar and whisk completely combined
- Sift 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour, 3/4 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 teaspoons of espresso powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of salt into the bowl and mix until mostly combined
- Whisk a cup of hot strongly brewed coffee into the batter
- Transfer the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake at 350° for about an hour or until a toothpick comes out of the center clean
- Let the cake cool in the loaf pan for about 10 minutes and then transfer the loaf onto a cooling rack to cool fully (you can chill it in the refrigerator to speed this process up too)
Make the whipped topping...
- In a large bowl, whip a cup of heavy cream with 2 tablespoons of confectioners sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla extract until thick and fluffy
- Cover the bowl and chill until ready to use
Assemble the cake...
- Once the cake has cooled and the whipped cream topping is made, soften 2 pints of ice cream at room temp or with a few short bursts in the microwave
- Slice the cooled loaf cake horizontally into 3 equal portions (if the top slice has a tall dome, slice some of it off to create a flat top for decorating)
- Lightly grease a loaf pan and line it with sheets of plastic wrap that hang over all four sides enough to completely cover the top of the cake and give you enough to hold onto when it comes time to lift the frozen cake out of the pan
- Place the bottom slice of the loaf cake into the base of the pan
- Spread a pint of softened ice cream out evenly and then add the middle slice of cake
- Gently press the middle cake slice down to evenly press the ice cream out and then add your second pint of softened ice cream and spread it out evenly
- Add your top cake slice, press it down lightly and use the excess plastic wrap hanging over the edges to cover the top of the cake completely
- Freeze the ice cream cake for several hours or until solid
- When ready to decorate and slice, use the plastic wrap to lift the ice cream cake out of the loaf pan (since we greased the pan, it should not stick, but if it does, use a blow dryer to lightly warm the outside of the pan until the cake releases)
- Remove and discard the plastic wrap
- Top the cake with your whipped cream and garnished with shaved chocolate or sprinkles or both!
- Slice and enjoy!
- Freeze leftovers tightly wrapped in plastic or in freezer safe airtight containers
