Ice Cream Cake

Last Updated August 14th, 2023 at 11:51 pm by Lisa

Ice Cream Cakes are sooooo good on hot summer days. They are wonderful for birthdays, special occasions, a cool dessert on July 4th, or for a pool party. This dreamy frozen dessert has an incredible red velvet Oreo cookie crust, layers of ice cream, pound cake, caramel sauce, chocolate sauce, cool whip topping, and colorful fun sprinkles.

Assemble this easy Oreo cake recipe in a standard 9 x 11 glass dish or in a springform pan for the classic round shape.

Everyone loves this scrumptious dessert any time of year, it makes the party one to remember...

Many people believe that cold ice cream cakes have a long culinary history dating back to the 14th century. I have made this frozen Oreo cake dessert for decades, and it truly is a family favorite. Sometimes I make two for big parties!

This dessert was my favorite birthday cake as a kid, from the first time I tasted one. Maybe you had a homemade one too or tried one like the Blizzard Dairy Queen ice cream cakes that are so famous.

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Easy Ice Cream Cake Recipe

For all you Oreo lovers, try some different cookie flavors. Most any sandwich cookie will work, and the best part is next time the weather is hot you won't have to bake dessert and heat up the kitchen. You will want to plan ahead and let this freeze overnight for the best ice cream cake.

No Bake Red Velvet Oreo Crust

• 1 package of red velvet Oreos, crushed or regular ones
• ½ cup salted butter (1 stick melted butter)

Homemade Ice Cream Cake Layers

• 12 oz container of real vanilla bean ice cream
• 12 oz pound cake
• 12 oz hot fudge sauce or chocolate sauce (Hershey's)
• 15 oz caramel sauce

Cool Whip Cake Frosting

For the best frosting, use a frozen cool whip topping. It works great and holds up better than heavy cream or whipping cream.

• 24 oz Cool Whip two 12 oz containers
• 1 jar of colorful sprinkles

1. Make room in the freezer for your round springform cake pan or a 9 x 13 glass dish. Put your dish or pan in the freezer to chill, it helps the layers set up faster!
2. Meanwhile, take the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer to soften for 1 hour at room temperature on the counter. This makes it the right consistency for pouring even layers. NOTE: larger deep dish glass dishes might need up to 2 quarts vanilla ice cream.

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First, Make The Easy No-Bake Oreo Crust

1. Melt a stick of butter in the microwave in a small bowl.
2. Crush the Oreo cookies in a sealed gallon size freezer bag, and roll the large chunks with a rolling pin into fine crumbs. You can also make crushed Oreos in a food processor. Pour the melted butter into the plastic bag with the fine Oreo cookie crumbs, seal, and mix well.
3. Pour the crushed Oreo crumbs with the melted butter into the bottom of the springform pan in an even thick layer. Use the bottom and side of a standard measuring cup to press the crust into the bottom of the pan. Be sure to press evenly all over the inside of the cake pan or dish. Chill the dish in the freezer for 30 minutes to set the buttery Oreo crust.

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Next, Assemble The Cake Layers

Next, slice the pound cake into small ½-1” small pieces. This is optional, but such a fun addition and so good! You can use any cake flavor you like.

Take the pan out of the freezer, and place cut pound cake pieces in the bottom, spread evenly on the Oreo cookie crust.

For the next ice cream layer, pour ½ container of softened vanilla all over the cookie crust and poundcake pieces and smooth with a small rubber spatula.

Reserve ½ of the container for the next layer. Softened chocolate ice cream, strawberry, birthday cake, or cookies and cream are also great choices.

For best results, whisk fudge with a spoon after heating a bit in the microwave so it pours easily. Chocolate sauce is good to go out of the bottle. Drizzle about ½ of each container in layers of chocolate fudge sauce and then caramel sauce all over.

Don't add too much chocolate sauce (fudge layer) or it is TOO sweet! Pour the other ½ of melted vanilla on top and smooth evenly and refreeze overnight.

PRO TIP: Keep placing the pan back in the freezer as you work through the layers. This helps freeze the cake faster as the pan is quite cold.

Unlock the clamp of the springform pan if using one, and remove the ring. It should pop off easily if the cake is frozen solid. Leave the cake on the springform pan plate. Or leave it in the glass 9 x 13 dish to decorate.

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Finally, Decorate The Cake

1. Unlock the clamp of the springform pan, and remove the ring. It should pop off easily if the cake is frozen solid. Leave the cake on the springform mold pan plate. Spread the Cool Whip mixture using a small rubber spatula all over evenly. Decorate with sprinkles on the sides and top of the cake mixture layers.
2. Refreeze the cake for an hour or so, then carefully cover it with clear plastic wrap until ready to eat.
3. Dip a sharp knife or cake server in hot water to cut the cake easily. Keep the cake wrapped well and frozen, eat within a week. An airtight container helps prevent ice crystals and keeps leftovers fresh.

Best Ice Cream Cake Tips

Grab a few simple ingredients from the store, and make this no-bake freezer dessert just the way your family wants it flavored.

PRO TIP: Be sure to pull the cartons of ice cream out of the freezer so they pour and spread easily into the pan!

Try Different Flavor Combinations: Buy your personal favorite ice cream flavors and sandwich cookies to create your very own original cake flavors.

• chocolate + peanut butter cookie crust
• peanut butter + chocolate cake + peanut butter cookie crust
• mint chocolate chip + Oreo cookie crust
• chocolate fudge flavor + graham cracker crust
• strawberry shortcake + vanilla cookie crust

Oreo fans: There are SO many flavors to choose from these days! I was so excited to try the Red Velvet Oreos, that crust is awesome. You can pick your favorite sandwich cookies, and heck they even have gluten-free Oreos now.

Cake Flavors: Cake is totally optional, but makes it well, a cake! You can bake and make a chocolate ice cream cake or any flavor you love. It is so easy to pickup a pound cake from the freezer section at the store, try it!

Chocolate Fudge: You can use a hot fudge sauce, just heat and be sure to whisk the fudge sauce well so it drizzles. I use Hershey's chocolate sauce, it works great right out of the bottle. Just don't use too much (which is tempting) as it makes the cake way too sweet! Also, chocolate ganache would be amazing.

Caramel Sauce: Buy a good one, the better the ingredients the better the results. Drizzle but don't overdo it.

Whipped Topping: Cool whip works really well, and it is stable and it sets up in the freezer. Whipped cream is tempting to use, but it is messier and melts fast in the heat, and won't ever firm up.

Sprinkles: I just love all the sprinkles, and Fancy Sprinkles has the most amazing sprinkles for cake decorating.

Cake Shapes & Pan Choices: For years I made this dessert in a 9 x 11 glass casserole dish. Then I thought, why not make it in a Large Springform Pan shaped like a traditional baked cake form? And it works perfectly!

The one I bought, has a very sturdy base and is only a tiny bit dripped out. You can easily wipe off any excess drips with a damp paper towel.

A springform pan works for cheesecakes, and are round cake pans with a bottom that pops out, held by a locking collar forming the sides and keeping liquid from dripping out. You will want to freeze the cake overnight, and it will pop right out of the ring easily once rock solid.

Ice Cream Cake FAQ

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More Frozen Desserts

These cold desserts will make your summer party fantastic and cool down your guests. Fruit Popsicles are a simple recipe made with coconut water, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries are refreshing low-sugar treats for hot summer days.

Frozen Bananas are a healthy treat for chocolate lovers. Freeze bananas, dip them in dark chocolate, and roll in nuts and dried fruit. A healthy vegetarian and vegan treat for hot summer days! You can go crazy adding any toppings you love.

5 ingredient Cherry Pie Ice Cream Sandwiches are an easy summer treat to cool you down on hot days.

Raspberry Lemon Sorbet is a real fruit frozen dessert, that is dairy-free, vegan, and has no refined sugar. A clean refreshing great recipe treat!