If you need a dessert that will wow the crowd in a hurry, look no further than this easy ice cream cake recipe! Prepare it in just 5 minutes (plus freezing time)!
Once upon a time, my husband decided he’d like to host a “small” 4th of July cookout… But what started as a guest list of about 25 friends and family, quickly spiraled to upwards of 50 people.
Yeah, that time would be today, and to say we’re in crisis mode is an understatement. Luckily he asked everyone to bring a side or dessert, but we’ve already made two additional trips to Walmart for more meat, utensils, napkins, trash bags, etc… Being a firm believer that you can just never have too many desserts, I also asked him to grab the ingredients for my favorite ice cream cake recipe on his latest trip.
How Do You Make An Ice Cream Cake?
This is seriously the easiest ice cream cake recipe ever! It requires no baking, and you can totally customize it however you prefer. I chose to go with chocolate ice cream, coupled with vanilla ice cream sandwiches, crushed Oreo cookies, and a thin layer of Smucker’s hot fudge. Dare I say it might even be better than a Dairy Queen ice cream cake?!
Normally I’d make my own homemade whipped cream, but since I’m in a pinch for time, I asked him to grab a can of Reddi-wip. He brought home a can of their extra creamy variety to top it off. Can I just say this stuff is like heaven in a can?!?
How To Make An Ice Cream Cake
This ice cream cake recipe starts with a 9″x5″ loaf pan that’s been lined with a piece of plastic wrap that’s long enough to hang over the edges. Don’t skip this step, because this is what will allow you to easily lift the entire cake out of the pan once it’s frozen solid.
Let your ice cream set out until it’s nice and soft. Then you’ll spread a layer that’s about 1/2-inch thick evenly across the bottom of the pan, making sure to push and smush it into all of the corners.
Next, line up 5 ice cream sandwiches on top of the ice cream layer. They will be a bit of a tight fit, but just press down firmly and they’ll conform to the pan.
On top of the ice cream sandwiches, I spread about half a jar of hot fudge topping, and topped that off with a layer of crushed Oreo cookies. Make sure to reserve about 1/4 cup of the crushed cookies to sprinkle on top later!
Finally, I added another layer of the chocolate ice cream and folded the plastic wrap over the top. Into the freezer it went for about four hours to freeze solid throughout.
How simple is that?!? After freezing, I lifted the ice cream cake from the pan using the plastic wrap and transferred it to a serving platter. Then I topped it off with the Reddi-wip and a sprinkling of the reserved crushed Oreo cookies. You could also warm up the rest of the hot fudge topping to drizzle over the top — yum!
Ingredients:
- chocolate ice cream
- 5 ice cream sandwiches
- 12 Oreo cookies, crushed w/ 1/4 cup reserved
- 1/2 jar hot fudge topping
- 1 can Reddi-wip or homemade whipped cream (optional)
Instructions:
- Line a 9"x5" loaf pan with plastic wrap, leaving a good amount hanging over each long side.
- Let your ice cream set out until it's really soft. Spread a layer that's about 1/2-inch thick evenly across the bottom of the pan, making sure to push it into all of the corners.
- Line up 5 ice cream sandwiches on top of the ice cream layer. They will be a bit of a tight fit, but just press down firmly and they'll conform to the pan.
- Spread about half a jar of hot fudge topping on top of the ice cream bars, and then sprinkle on a layer of crushed Oreo cookies. Make sure to reserve about 1/4 cup of the crushed cookies.
- Add the final layer of chocolate ice cream and fold the plastic wrap over the top. Place in the freezer for about four hours to freeze through.
- After freezing, lift the entire ice cream cake out of the pan using the plastic wrap and transfer it to a serving platter. Top it off with Reddi-wip or homemade whipped cream and a sprinkling of crushed Oreo cookies.
- To serve, slice with a knife that's been dipped in warm water.
Easy Ice Cream Cake Recipe Doubled
Because you’re only using about half of each of the ingredients to make one cake, you could easily stretch your purchase to make two ice cream cakes. Just don’t fill the loaf pans all the way to the top with ice cream, divide it evenly between two loaf pans. That makes this a fun and frugal dessert, perfect for those last-minute cookouts!
Patriotic Ice Cream Cake
Looking for something a little more festive? Try this Funfetti Stars & Stripes patriotic ice cream cake… Filled with layers of Funfetti cake, chopped Snickers candy bars, hot fudge, and vanilla ice cream, the red, white and blue sprinkles make it the perfect finish to any Memorial Day, Fourth of July, or Labor Day gathering!
Meredith Bonanni says
If you don’t eat it all when it is first served, do you refreeze it or just toss it?
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Hey Meredith! I just refreeze it — no sense in wasting perfectly good ice cream cake, lol. It won’t be quite as pretty once it starts to melt, but it still tastes just as good!
Mia B says
I actually followed this recipe for a family dinner where I needed to make a dessert, and it worked wonderfully! I highly recommend it for anyone in need of a quick and easy to make dessert!
Tara @ Unsophisticook says
Thanks for sharing, Mia — so happy you loved it!