This simple & easy homemade recipe comes out just like a Dairy Queen ice cream cake at home. So easy and fun, even kids can make it. Great for parties!
You will not believe how easy it is to use a springform pan to create a perfect ice cream cake: vanilla ice cream, strawberries, and a sweet crunchy filling? YUM!
What you'll need to make a strawberry ice cream cake
Equipment
- Springform pan
- Plastic wrap
Ingredients
- Vanilla ice cream - This is the base of your ice cream cake, so make sure you use whatever brand you love most.
- Strawberry ice cream
- Flour
- Sugar
- Freeze-dried strawberries - These can be hard to find, but normally Target has them. Don't try to make the strawberry crunch layer without them.
- Salted butter - If you only have unsalted butter, use it but add a pinch of salt to the crumb.
- Vanilla extract - I have switched over from using vanilla extract to using vanilla paste almost exclusively but continue to include vanilla extract in my recipes because that's what most people have.
Vanilla extract is an alcohol-based liquid with the consistency of water. To make it, vanilla beans are soaked in alcohol for a long time (like many months). There are no actual vanilla beans in extract.
Vanilla paste on the other hand is a combination of highly concentrated vanilla extract, vanilla bean powder, and a binder (which can be either xanthum gum or corn syrup, read the label). It is the consistency of Elmer's glue.
The reason I prefer vanilla paste is that, aside from having actual vanilla beans inside, the paste has a richer, more bold flavor, and it has no alcohol taste when it is not cooked. I hate the bitter flavor that traditional vanilla extract gives foods that are not cooked. That bitterness cooks off when heated, but in recipes like popsicles, buttercream, and overnight oats, the alcohol stays in and can taint the flavor if you are heavy handed with it (as I often am). - Heavy cream
- Powdered sugar
- Red gel food color - You can't use liquid food color in this recipe because it will prevent the whipped cream from whipping up and getting fluffy. Liquid food coloring is made from water, and that water often messes things up. We use gel food color almost exclusively.
How to Make an Ice Cream Cake
Recipe
How to Make an Easy Homemade Ice Cream Cake
This simple & easy homemade recipe comes out just like a Dairy Queen ice cream cake at home. So easy and fun, even kids can make it. Great for parties!
Ingredients
Ice cream layers
- 2 quart vanilla ice cream slightly softened in the refrigerator
- 1 quart strawberry ice cream slightly softened in the refrigerator
Strawberry crunch layer
- 1 cup all-purpose flour divided
- ½ cup sugar divided
- ¾ cup freeze dried strawberries ground into a powder using a food processor or a plastic zippered bag and a rolling pin
- 7 tablespoons salted butter divided, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Whipped cream frosting
- 1¾ cups heavy cream cold
- ¾ cup powdered sugar
- 1¼ teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- ½ cup freeze dried strawberries ground into a powder using a food processor or a plastic zippered bag and a rolling pin
- red gel food color optional
Instructions
For the strawberry crunchies
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Add ½ cup flour, ¼ cup sugar, and ground up freeze dried strawberries to a small bowl and mix well. Add 4 tablespoons of butter to the bowl and use a form to mix it all up, mashing the butter into the dry ingredients until a crumb forms. Spread this evenly on one of the baking sheets.
- Add ½ cup flour and ¼ cup sugar to a second small bowl. Add 3 tablespoons of butter to the bowl, using a fork as before to make the mixture into crumbs. Spread evenly on the second baking sheet.
- Bake the strawberry and vanilla crumbs for 5 minutes or until beginning to get crunchy. Be very careful because these can burn quickly.
- Remove crunchies from oven and allow to cool completely. Break the crumbs up with your fingers so that the pieces are all smaller than a pea. Toss the strawberry and vanilla crunchies together and stir to mix.
For the ice cream cake layers
- Allow the vanilla ice cream to sit out at room temperature for about 20 minutes to soften.
- Line the springform pan completely with plastic wrap, leaving no gaps or holes between the layers. It should cover the bottom and all the sides and stick out over the top.
- Spread about half of the vanilla ice cream in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Sprinkle ½ cup of crunchies over the top of the ice cream, and then return the pan to the freezer for at least 2 hours or until firm.
- Allow the strawberry ice cream to sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes, and then spread it evenly over the crunchies on the now frozen vanilla layer. Top with ½ cup of crunchies and return to the freezer for 2 hours or until firm.
- Allow the remaining vanilla ice cream to soften for 20 minutes and then add to the top of the cake and freeze for 2-3 hours or until firm.
For the whipped cream
- Add the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a large bowl and beat with a hand mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5-7 minutes. Add the freeze dried strawberries and red food color, if desired.
- Frost the cake with the whipped cream, returning to the freezer as needed to prevent it from melting.
- Press remaining crumbs onto the sides of the frosted cake, if desired.
- Return to the freezer until it is time to serve the cake. Remove from freezer for 20 minutes before cutting.
Nutrition
Calories: 853kcal | Carbohydrates: 106g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 157mg | Sodium: 245mg | Potassium: 831mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 66g | Vitamin A: 1631IU | Vitamin C: 308mg | Calcium: 328mg | Iron: 6mg
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Harriet says
I just purchased your new book! I wasn't going to do this, but I've skimmed it and made the decision to print it and keep it in the kitchen! (Hope that's ok to do.) Let me know!
Coffee Filters to Cheese Graters is so cool, and most of the tips have links to recipes or more information.
Great buy. I loved the #4 tip about using a colander. Why didn't I think of that?
Blessings,
Harriet
Callie says
Oh, going to have to try this! I love ice cream cake!