Making homemade gluten-free ice cream cake at home is so easy and even more delicious than store-bought. Caramel-swirled ice cream sandwiched between layers of tender gluten-free chocolate cake then frosted with whipped cream and caramel drizzle. You can also use your favorite kind of ice cream and forgo the caramel sauce to give it your own spin!

This post is sponsored by Safeway, a year-long partner of Snixy Kitchen

When Zoella was first born, a friend brought lasagna and a small cake to the hospital to celebrate. After we’d all eaten dessert, Lucas was snacking on kumquats when our friend revealed she’d never had one. We insisted she try one, but she declined, saying with all sincerity , “No thanks, I have a really good taste in my mouth right now.”

She probably doesn’t even remember saying it, but now, almost four years later, we still quote her whenever something is extra delicious.

Like this caramel-swirled chocolate gluten-free ice cream cake with crushed pretzels and roasted peanuts on top. I want to keep that really good taste in my mouth as long as possible. It’s acceptable to eat cake as your only meal for a full day, right? I just don’t want to ruin the taste in my mouth.

Beer-inspired Cake

As you may already know, I’m partnering with Safeway this year. I’m joining for a Northern California blogger tour aimed at inspiring me to create recipes that feature some of their specialty products or initiatives that you might not already know about. You can find all the recipes inspired by these tours here.

This month we toured Alvarado Street Bakery and Lagunitas, complete with an ice cream cart and sundae bar co-hosted by Tillamook. There was admittedly a lot of gluten I couldn’t taste on the tour, but I was surprised to learn that Lagunitas actually had an option for me! They’ve released a hoppy refresher, which is an IPA-inspired hoppy sparkling water. It’s gluten-free, alcohol-free, calorie-free and super satisfying!

We’d seen the hoppy refresher in an ice chest at a BBQ before but were too skeptical to try it. Now that I’ve tried it, I’m sold. It’s the perfect drink for those who can’t drink beer, with a light hoppy beer scent and flavor profile.

Using Tillamook’s vanilla bean ice cream for the filling, I sprinkled salty peanut and crushed pretzel as decoration to pair with beer or, in this case, hoppy sparkling water.

I pulled salty peanut-pretzel flavor combination from Yossy Arefi’s Salty Peanut Pretzel Ice Cream Cake that Alanna and I made and styled for The New York Times last year. That ice cream cake has a pretzel crust underneath (instead of cake) and swirls of peanut butter throughout

Here, I’ve added chocolate cake layers, swirls of salted honey caramel sauce, and left the beer snack toppings as an optional garnish!

Does ice cream cake have cake in it?

Ice cream cake can be made of just ice cream or can include layers of actual cake. For an ice cream only cake, you may add various mix-ins like caramel, peanut butter, or chocolate, or use different flavors of ice cream to create layers.

For an ice cream cake with actual cake layer, you can opt for just one layer of cake topped with a layer of ice cream, or sandwich the ice cream between two layers of cake. I opted for a higher cake ratio here to cut the creamy sweetness a bit.

How to make gluten-free ice cream cake

To make a gluten-free ice cream cake, it’s best to start two days before you want to serve the cake. Ice cream melts pretty quickly, especially if you use a high-cream brand like Tillamook. The good news is, ice cream cake takes very little hands on time, just a little planning in advance!

On the first day, you’ll bake and cool the cake layers and caramel sauce. Once cool, you’ll assemble your cake into layers and pop it in the freezer for at least 6 hours or overnight to firm up.

The next day you’ll frost and decorate the cake. While you decorate the cake, though, the ice cream will start to soften again, so you’ll need to pop it back into the freezer for another 2-4 hours or overnight to firm up before slicing.

On the third day, you slice and eat the cake. If you let it sit at room temperature for 3-5 minutes, it’s just a bit softer and easier to slice, while still firm enough to hold its shape!

How do you soften ice cream for a cake?

To spread the ice cream layer of an ice cream cake, you need the ice cream to be soft to create a smooth layer that will “stick” to the cake. Scoop the ice cream into a large bowl and let it sit for 5 minutes. Stir with a rubber spatula, pressing it against the sides until it’s smooth, but still very thick, almost like mashed potatoes. Now the ice cream is ready to spread into an even layer!

How do you store ice cream cake?

Make sure you store your ice cream cake well to avoid freezer-burn. There’s nothing worse than a cake that tastes like freezer!

When freezing the assembled pre-frosted cake, cover it in plastic wrap or foil. If you’re making the cake far in advance, make sure to create an air-tight seal of plastic wrap then a layer of foil.

After you’ve frosted the cake, let it freeze uncovered for 30 minutes to firm up then carefully cover the cake in plastic or foil to keep it from getting freezer burn. Don’t frost your cake more than 3-5 days in advance because the longer it sits in your freezer without an airtight seal, the more likely it will taste like your freezer when you go to serve it. Instead, if you need to make the cake further in advance, seal and wrap up the cake right after you’ve frozen the layers overnight, but before you frost it!

Finally, slice and freeze any leftovers in an airtight container (as if there will be leftovers…).

More Ice Cream Desserts

• Lavender Earl Grey Blackberry Ice Cream Floats
• Hibiscus Ginger Ice Cream Float
• Double Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches
• Fruit Basket Ice Cream Cake from The Pig & Quill
• Brown Butter Churro Ice Cream Sundaes from Heartbeet Kitchen
• Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae Pie from Hummingbird High
• Chocolate Waffle Ice Cream Sandwiches from Dessert for Two