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Ice Cream Cake

A simple ice cream cake recipe that can be made completely from scratch, partially or completely store bought! You have lots of options here, but it will always end with a fabulous ice cream cake and that's all that matters.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Chilling Time4 hours
Total Time5 hours 15 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8

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