This ice cream cake recipe is even more delicious than Carvel or Dairy Queen ice cream cake! A homemade chocolate cake is topped with two layers of ice cream, an Oreo fudge sauce and whipped cream frosting.

This homemade ice cream cake recipe is one of my all-time favorite recipes I’ve ever created. It’s so delicious many people have said it’s the best cake they’ve ever had!

This recipe is reminiscent of a dairy queen ice cream cake – but even more better. It’s made with homemade chocolate cake as the base. Then, it’s topped with two layers of your favorite ice cream – and sandwiched between those layers is a delicious Oreo fudge sauce (the best part).

Once assembled, the ice cream cake is “frosted” with homemade whipped cream and decorated with colorful sprinkles. It’s truly a dessert masterpiece than is perfect for birthdays & entertaining. Plus you can make it up to a month in advance and store it in the freezer!

Ice Cream Cake: Ingredients & Substitutions

• Chocolate Cake. Use your favorite recipe – for detailed notes on substitutions in the chocolate cake, check out this post: Homemade Chocolate Cake. You can also use a boxed cake mix for ease!
• Ice cream. We make this cake with cookies & cream ice cream and chocolate ice cream. You can use literally any ice cream flavors you’d like – there are endless possibilities.
• Oreo Cookies. you can choose your favorite variety, but I recommend regular or double stuffed for the best results.
• Fudge Sauce. Use store bought or make your own homemade chocolate fudge sauce!
• Whipped Cream. This is used as the “frosting” for the ice cream cake. Making your own whipped cream is so easy and it tastes much better than store bought! You can also use cool whip for the outer layer if you prefer.

How to Make Ice Cream Cake

There are a good number of steps in this recipe – however don’t let them scare you away from making this delicious ice cream cake – it’s so worth the effort!

Make the Chocolate Cake

Since it has to freeze before using in this recipe, we begin by baking the chocolate cake.

Line a 9” round cake pan with parchment paper and lightly grease.

Then, whisk the canola oil, sugar, eggs, sour cream, milk and vanilla together in a large bowl.

Then, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, se salt and espresso powder and stir or whisk to combine.

Next, pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pan.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Then, let the chocolate cake cool completely in the pan before remove it from the pan, wrapping it in plastic wrap and freezing.

Make the 1st Ice Cream Layer

Once the chocolate cake is frozen, it’s time to assemble the ice cream cake. Begin by lining the same 9” round cake pan you used to bake the cake with wax paper or parchment paper. Trace bottom – make “handles” for easy removal.

Then, remove one of the two flavors of ice cream you chose (the one you want to be the top layer) and let it soften at room temperature for 5 minutes.

Then, scoop the softened ice cream into the cake pan and press into a flat layer.

Freeze until hardened (about 30 to 60 minutes).  

Make the Oreo Fudge Layer

While the first ice cream layer is hardening, make the Oreo crunch layer (the best part).

Coarsely chop the Oreos, then combine the chopped cookies with 1 cup of chocolate fudge sauce.

Then, spread the Oreo/fudge mixture evenly over the first (frozen) ice cream layer.

Return the cake to the freezer for 15-30 minutes, until the chocolate fudge layer is hardened.

Make the 2nd Ice Cream Layer

Once the fudge layer is hardened, remove the second ice cream variety from the freezer and let it soften at room temperature.

Then, scoop the softened ice cream on top of the frozen fudge layer and spread it into a flat, even layer.

Assemble the Ice Cream Cake

Next, spread the remaining ½ cup chocolate fudge sauce over the ice cream.

Set the baked and frozen chocolate cake on the ice cream layer – top down.

Then, either cover the cake with another identical cake pan & flip it, OR flip the cake so that the chocolate cake is on the bottom and put it on a baking sheet or in another round dish/pan. You want the chocolate cake on the bottom so the ice cream/fudge sauce is pressed into it and they freeze together.

Return cake to the freezer and freeze until hardened (about 1 hour).

Frost with Whipped Cream

Once the cake is completely frozen, make the whipped cream that will be used as “frosting.” To do this, simply beat the whipped cream ingredients together until stiff peaks form. For a more detailed explanation see this post: homemade whipped cream.

Then, remove the frozen ice cream cake from the pan and put it on a serving plate, cake side down.

Cover with a smooth layer of whipped cream (I use a pastry scraper like this to spread).

Then use the remaining whipped cream to pipe an edge around the top and bottom of the cake.

Decorate with sprinkles (if desired), then return the finished ice cream cake to freezer until whipped cream has hardened and you are ready to serve. (about 1 -2 hours)

Serve

Remove the cake from the freezer 5 to 10 minutes before serving so it’s easier to cut. I suggest serving it in small slices (cut into rectangles instead of triangles) because it is very rich and a little goes a long way!

Store/Freeze

Store leftover cake tightly wrapped in the freezer. You can store it as a full cake, or cut it and store it in individual slices – which is ideal for enjoying a single serving at a time.

I suggest flash-freezing the individual slices and then wrapping them tightly in plastic wrap. Then, store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 month.

Ice Cream Cake Recipe FAQS

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