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This easy Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream Cake is a perfect frozen dessert for summertime. A layer of chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream and frosted chocolate whipped cream. This recipe is easy to customize to just about any flavor!

If you love ice cream cakes, you’ll love this Oreo ice cream cake too!

Easy Homemade Ice Cream Cake

For as long as I can remember, ice cream cakes have been a staple birthday cake in our house when we were kids. My dad STILL makes his own ice cream cake for his birthday at nearly 70 years old and sends us a picture every year. Lucky for him, he was visiting me when I made this recipe, so I got his final sign off.

Traditionally our ice cream cakes were two cake layers, cut in half (so they’re thin) and then spread with thin layers of ice cream, then the whole thing was covered with Cool Whip. Whoever’s birthday it was picked both the cake and ice cream flavor.

My version of Chocolate Ice Cream Cake is a little easier to make with a single layer of cake and a single layer of ice cream. However, this could easily be adapted to multiple layers.

This recipe features a layer of favorite chocolate cake with chocolate ice cream and covered with chocolate whipped cream. There’s a fun twist though, I actually mixed some of the chocolate cake into the ice cream! No cake goes to waste here.

While frozen cakes are perfect for summertime, there’s no reason why you can’t enjoy this all year round, especially for birthdays! If you’ve never made an ice cream cake before, it’s much easier than you think. Be sure to read through all the tips, especially about the assembly!

What You’ll Need

• Sugar
• Vegetable Oil
• Eggs
• Vanilla Extract
• Sour Cream: sub with yogurt (Greek or plain) in needed
• All-Purpose Flour
• Cocoa Powder: for the cake and the topping
• Baking Powder, Baking Soda, Salt
• Hot Brewed Coffee: you can milk if you don’t want to use coffee.
• 1 Gallon ice cream: your favorite flavor
• Heavy Cream: for the whipped cream topping
• Powdered sugar

How to Make Ice Cream Cake

• Bake the cake: First prepare the cake layer according to the instructions and cool it completely.
• Prep the ice cream: About 20-30 minutes before you’re ready to assemble remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow it to soften.
• Freeze the cake layer: Then level off the top of your cake so it’s flat. Save that piece of cake that you cut off because we’re mixing it back into the ice cream! Place the bottom layer of cake in the freezer. When it’s cold it will be easier to spread the ice cream over top.
• Prepare the pan: Line your pan with plastic wrap. If you have a springform pan, you can place a cake board or piece of parchment paper in the bottom of the pan, then place the layer of cake on top.

• Make the ice cream layer: Measure out about 3 cups of ice cream, crumble the extra chocolate cake and then mix together.

• Assemble the cake: Evenly spread the ice cream over the layer of cake. The cake layer might have shrank a little bit, so some of the ice cream will drip over the sides of the cake, but that’s okay because we are going to cover it with whipped cream.
• Refreeze the cake for 2-4 hours until the ice cream has refrozen.

• Prepare a batch of chocolate whipped cream. To frost the cake, remove it from the pan and place the whipped cream in a large piping bag and pipe it around the outside edge of the cake and on the top. Gently smooth with an angled spatula. Decorate with leftover whipped cream. Refreeze for 30-60 minutes before slicing.

Tips for Serving

• The best pan to use: If you have a springform pan that is the same size as your cake pan, I recommend assembling the cake in the springform pan. It’s easier to remove the edges. Regardless, I recommend lining the pan with plastic wrap so it’s easier to remove the cake before frosting. A cake collar (affiliate link) will also work.
• To slice the cake: you can let it sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes first. Run a sharp knife under hot water each time you cut the cake, it will be easier to slice.
• Serve this with fresh berries to make it even better!

How to Customize an Ice Cream Cake

The best part about ice cream cake is that it’s so simple to customize with endless flavor options.

I like to use store-brought ice cream for the obvious reason that it makes this recipe that much easier to throw together. But also, because you can buy any flavor of ice cream making it that much easier to change the flavors.

However, my favorite was to customize the ice cream is to add my own mix-ins. So for this recipe, I added chocolate cake into the ice cream, but here are a few other suggestions, think of it like the menu at Cold Stone, the options are endless!

• Crushed cookies: Oreos, chocolate chip, sugar cookies, you name it.
• Brownies or edible cookie dough
• Candies: M&Ms, Kit Kats, Snickers, gummy worms, you get the idea.
• Nuts, sprinkles or chocolate chips

Flavor Variations

Do you want to make this with a homemade ice cream instead? Here’s a few reipes that would work great with the chocolate cake. This list includes no-churn ice cream recipes as well as recipes that require an ice cream cakes.

Ice Cream Maker Recipes:

• Strawberry ice cream would pair great with a strawberry whipped cream topping
• Sweet Potato ice cream for a fall treat
• Espresso Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream would be great for a coffee variation

No-churn Ice Cream

• Do you love coffee? Try this Tiramisu ice cream
• This Brownie Batter ice cream would be insane with the chocolate cake
• Try this Baileys ice cream for a boozy treat.

How to Store a Frozen Cake

If you have a cake carrier or another tall container, it’s best to place it in an airtight container to prevent freezer burn. Once sliced, you can also place plastic wrap along the cut edges to prevent icicles from forming.

This cake will stay fresh for 5-7 days in the freezer if properly stored.

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