Homemade Ice Cream Cake!

42 Comments / By / March 24, 2017 / Recipes
2 Reviews / 4.5 Average
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
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Every now and then we “break the rules” with a special homemade treat like this one that I’m sharing today. That’s because it’s unrealistic to think you’ll never indulge in a sweet treat again (oh, the horror!), and I fully recognize that when there is a special occasion, the homemade from scratch version (even with sugar and a little white flour) is far better than the store bought variety.

So on that note, I present to you…Homemade Ice Cream Cake! And I must share that my husband, who has never been much of a dessert person, was caught red handed having seconds of this cake! I about fell out of my chair when I saw that happen. So for a special celebration or occasional treat, this make-ahead dessert will surely be a crowd pleaser. Enjoy!

Homemade Ice Cream Cake on 100 Days of #RealFood

 

Homemade ice cream cake on 100 Days of #RealFood

Homemade Ice Cream Cake

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
2 Reviews / 4.5 Average
Prep Time: 50 mins
Cook Time: 3 hrs
Total Time: 3 hrs 50 mins
Course: Treats
Cuisine: American
Method: Freezer Friendly
Diet: Peanut/Tree Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Servings: 12 people

Ingredients
  

For the Cake

For the Ice Cream

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a rectangular baking dish with butter and set aside. Make sure the bowl from your ice cream maker is freezing cold in your freezer!
  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Make a well (hole) in the center and drop in the milk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Use a fork to mix in the wet ingredients and thoroughly combine the batter, but do not over mix.
  • Pour the batter into the baking dish and bake for 16 to 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center. Let the cake cool as much as possible (ideally completely) before moving on to the next step.
  • Once the cake has cooled, set up the ice cream maker. In a large glass measuring cup, measure out and whisk together the cream, milk, syrup, and vanilla extract. Turn on the machine and pour the cream mixture into the freezer bowl through the ingredient spout. Let the machine run until the mixture has thickened and resembles ice cream, about 20 to 30 minutes.
  • Carefully spread the ice cream out into one even layer on top of the cooled cake. Cover and place the cake in the freezer and let it set for 3 to 4 hours. Although, I recently only let it set for 2 hours, and the world did not stop turning. :)
  • If the ice cream has become frozen solid, let it soften on the counter for 10 or 15 minutes before serving. Add toppings such as dark chocolate shavings and fresh strawberries just before serving.
  • Optional toppings:
    Dark chocolate shavings (use a carrot peeler) and/or dye-free sprinkles, fresh sliced strawberries and/or raspberries.

Notes

We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

Homemade Ice Cream Cake on 100 Days of #RealFood

 

 

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42 thoughts on “Homemade Ice Cream Cake!”

  1. Becky

    This looks amazing. Any tips if making the cake in 2 rounds instead of a baker? I wanted to do a layered cake. Baking time, etc. thanks!!!

  2. Sarah Dickison

    5 stars
    Made this last night, 3 adults & 12 kids LOVED it !!! Only used 2 eggs instead of 4, and used 8oz of softened cream cheese mixed with 1/2 C honey for the frosting. This will be forever in my recipe book. Easily converted to dutch oven recipe for camping ! Softened the butter and just thew all the ingredients in a bowl and mixed it until well incorporated. Came out Uh-May-Zing !!!

  5. Michele Thornton

    Do you have a good dairy and egg free icecream recipe that would work with this cake. I have tried a couple of coconut milk recipes but they get icy in the freezer. We have found the best way to eat it is right out of the maker like soft serve. Any ideas would be appreciated.

    1. Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      Hi there. Sorry, we do not but I have recently read that arrowroot powder can help make homemade ice cream less icy. It might work that way with the coconut milk version, too.

  6. Sev

    Sundays and Kids. Two things that immediately crossed my mind after seeing the photo. This ice cream cake recipe is perfect for Sundays with my son. He loves ice cream cake so much. Gonna try this!

  7. Sherry

    I’m very excited to try this! It’s my daughter’s birthday and she requested ice cream cake for her slumber party. In addition to being healthier, it’s much less costly than one from DQ.

  8. Shay

    Could this be made a day in advance or will the ice-cream get too hard or freezer burned? Also, would I have to adjust the baking time for a glass pan?

    Trying to make ahead since my 2 year old’s birthday is the day before Thanksgiving!

    1. Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      Hi Shay. Apologies, but we are often a bit behind on recipe questions and can’t handle them in real time. ;) Hope you made it and it was successful. For future reference, I would keep it covered in the freezer. ~Amy

  9. jameheller

    Icecream is favorite of everyone!! I tried this sweet recipe at home and it was divine. But i am fully health conscious so i always prefer to eat healthy food. You can try healthy sweet recipes from innerfight.com/food because they offer easy and quick healthy recipes.

    1. Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      Hi Steph. Coconut sugar is a little more nutritious than white sugar and much less sweet. I’ve baked with it pretty successfully but have not tried it in a cake. ~Amy

  12. Lynne B

    Can’t wait to try this! A couple of questions: would it work to substitute equal amounts honey for maple syrup (husband with tree nut allergy so we’re pretty sure he’d react to pure maple syrup). He’s also allergic to most whole grains so would it work just as well to use all white flour?

    1. Amy Taylor (comment moderator)

      Hi Lynne. We can usually use honey and maple syrup fairly interchangeably though the consistencies are a little different but since we’ve not made substitutions, we can’t make promises. White flour and wheat flour are not usually exchanged 1:1. It would be an experiment…but it might work fine. ;)

  14. Chris W

    This looks lovely, and more healthy than a normal ice cream cake. May I ask what size rectangular pan you baked the cake in, please? Thank you.

  15. Kristin

    Yum! I make a healthier version of an oreo ice cream cake. Crumbled homemade oreo wafers (no filling) become the cake, followed by homemade vanilla ice cream, homemade dark chocolate sauce, and whipped cream. I make it every year on Father’s Day.

    Though June is a long way off, so I can’t wait to try your recipe!

  18. Tania @ The Cook's Pyjamas

    I am completely onboard with your philosophy about occasional sweet treats but am curious to know whether you have explored the world of unrefined sugars and alternative flours. If you swapped out the white flour for white spelt you wold pick up some nutrition there. Nutrients in spelt are spread throughout the grain, so even refined spelt has a better nutrient profile than refined wheat. Replacing the white sugar for rapadura, an unrefined sugar, you get all the valuable nutrients and minerals that unrefined sugar actually contains and not just the empty calories of white sugar. In this sort of recipe you wouldn’t need to really play with proportions and a straight swap should work well.

    1. Lisa

      Yes, everything else I do on here is with unrefined sugars and whole-grain flours – so I couldn’t agree more. But I am truly okay with veering away from that (and enjoy the taste) once in a blue moon.

  20. Sally

    OMG, just when I think I can’t love this blog any more! We break down & buy a Carvel ice cream cake twice a year (my husband’s birthday & our son’s) now I don’t even need to do that! I’m bouncing off the wall with excitement right now!

    1. Kristin

      Two ways, you can use the double coffee can method. The smaller can has ice cream ingredients, the outer can has rock salt and crushed ice, then you simply roll the can back and forth for 20-30 minutes (kids come in handy for this one. You also have to do it in smaller batches.

      The second involves a freeze and stir method where you pour the ice cream mix into an oblong cake pan, cover and freeze, stirring every half hour, until set. Helps to use a deep freeze and whole milk. google it

      1. Sarah

        Or there is the classic 2 plastic bag method. Ice and salt go into a gallon sized bag and ice cream ingredients go into a quart sized zipper bag. shake like mad for 5-10 minutes. Make sure and use a good zipper bag and close it tightly or else you might get salt in your ice cream and that’s really unpleasant.

  23. Jill

    I love a good ice cream cake!
    I’m immersed in sugar-free September right now, but knowing that I def will be able to eat all my fav sweet treats again helps me stick to it. If I told myself I could never eat sugar again I know it would drive me straight to binges and the candy aisle!

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