Homemade Oreo ice cream cake recipe

While summer is the typical season for ice cream cakes, they returned for the warmer days this past January when I made one for my friend’s birthday. The snow pouring outside my kitchen window on a Sunday morning paired perfectly with some cookies and cream ice cream and chocolate cake. Surprising my friend with her favorite dessert made the celebration all the better. So, without further ado, here’s an easy customizable ice cream cake you can tailor to your or your loved ones’ personal preferences! 

Ingredients

• 1 cake mix, prepared into two round cakes

• 2 pints of preferred ice cream

• 16 oz frosting of choice

• Various optional toppings: Oreo cookies, hot fudge, chocolate shavings, food coloring, etc. 

Directions

1. Begin by baking your cake base in a pan of your choice. I baked two 8-inch round chocolate cake layers in a silicone mold using a Betty Crocker mix (the super moist triple chocolate fudge mix is perfection).

2. Get a pan the same size as the one you baked your cake in and line it with parchment paper.

3. Spread out your preferred ice cream flavor in the pan and pop it back into the freezer to harden. To soften your ice cream before spreading, either leave it out for 10 minutes or run it under hot water for 2 minutes. 

4. Optional: personalize your cake by adding different textures and flavors! Since mine was a cookies and cream chocolate cake, I crushed up some Oreo cookies and mixed it with melted fudge before spreading it on top of a layer of my cake. 

5. Once the ice cream is hardened, assemble your cake by placing the ice cream layer on top of one cake layer, and finally covering it with another cake layer. 

6. Cover your cake with a frosting of your choice! I (again) used a Betty Crocker vanilla frosting pint and decorated it with smiley faces and flower designs. This is where you can add food coloring to your frosting for a fun-colored cake! This is great for themes or Valentine’s Day.

7. Pop it back in the freezer for a couple of hours to let it freeze together — and voila! You have a super easy and yummy ice cream cake. Before serving, let the cake sit for 10 minutes at room temperature to make it easier to slice.

My favorite thing about this recipe is how customizable it is — especially when you know someone’s favorite ice cream and cake flavor, it can add a really personal touch! I know that for my friends’ upcoming birthdays I’ll be playing around with toppings like crushed pretzel bites, graham crackers and fresh strawberries. I highly recommend trying out this recipe for your next celebration!