Crunchy cookie crumbles and smooth ganache are centered between layers of chocolate and vanilla ice cream. Topped with whipped cream frosting, this cake is amazing and will literally melt in your mouth.

Fall is my favorite season with its crisp leaves and cool, breezy walks. But in the south it seems to only be a few days long. This ice cream cake with its autumn leaf sprinkles is my farewell to fall. Most people enjoy frozen desserts in the summer only, but I could enjoy ice cream cake every day… for the rest of my life.

HOW TO MAKE ICE CREAM CAKE:

BAKE COOKIE CRUMBLES
First, make the COOKIE CRUMBLES. Crush your oreos with the bottom of a cup, and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Bake them at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 5-10 minutes. Why? This makes the cookies extra crunchy and helps them to retain some crunch after being put into the cake.

MAKE CREAMY GANACHE
Next, make the GANACHE. Ganache is one of my favorite simple treats. Only two ingredients, and I hover over any remnants with my spoon. Heat 1/3 cup of cream in a small saucepan until it begins to simmer. The cream needs to be piping hot. Then, take your pan off the heat and mix in the chocolate chips until it is smooth and creamy. That’s it!
You can substitute milk chocolate if you do not have dark. Let the ganache cool completely.

WHIP UP THE FROSTING
While the cookies and ganache are cooling, prepare the FROSTING by beating the remainder of the cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on high speed until stiff peaks form.

CREATE A WHIPPED CREAM “WALL”
Get your cake pan ready by lining with plastic wrap. This will make it easy to remove the ice cream cake from the pan. Then, spread whipped cream all along the sides of the pan. This will make a wall between the cake layers and the final frosting layer. Think of it as a “crumb coat” that will assist you while you are frosting a melting cake. Keep the pan in the freezer for at least thirty minutes.

ASSEMBLE CAKE LAYERS
Smooth out the chocolate ice cream into the bottom of the pan. Then smooth out an even layer of ganache. Add the cookie bits and spread them out over the ganache. Finally, add vanilla ice cream until it is flush with the top of the pan. Freeze for at least an hour.

FROST CAKE
Using an offset spatula, smooth out the whipped cream over the top and sides of cake. Pipe a border around the top and bottom of the cake if you want to and the cake isn’t melting on you. Throw some sprinkles on the cake and then freeze it again for at least an hour.

SERVE AND EAT!
When you’re ready to serve this awesome and tasty cake, let the cake sit at room temperature for about ten minutes so it will be easy to slice into. Enjoy!

HELPFUL TIPS

If you do not have a 6×3 inch round cake pan, you can use two 6×2 inch round pans. You will need to line both with plastic wrap.
Let the ice cream sit out for about 10 minutes before cake assembly so it will be easy to spread. Trying to spread rock hard ice cream into a pan may lead to Grinch-like behavior.
Ice cream cake melts quickly. I highly recommend freezing the cake for a minimum of 30 minutes after creating the whipped cream wall in the pan, and then again after assembling the layers.
When you are ready to serve, run a butcher knife under very hot water for about 30 seconds. This will make the frozen cake easier to slice into!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

WHY DO YOU CREATE A WHIPPED CREAM “WALL” IN THE PAN?

This step is optional. The wall of whipped cream creates an easy barrier between the frosting and the cake itself. As the ice cream cake melts, the cookie pieces and chocolate may start running off into the frosting. Still edible, but not as visually appealing and I wanted even a newbie home chef to be able to frost the cake with ease.

HOW DO I STORE ICE CREAM CAKE?

Store ice cream cake in a sealed cake container in the freezer. If you do not have a cake container (or if the container doesn’t fit in your freezer), I recommend slicing the cake into pieces that will fit into a freezer safe container. Best eaten within three days, but will keep up to two weeks.

Chocolate and Vanilla Ice Cream Cake with Cookie Ganache Center

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Author: Jeanie Nolan
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 5 hours 20 minutes
Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
Category: Dessert
Cuisine: American

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Description

Crunchy cookie crumbles. Homemade chocolate ganache. Whipped cream frosting. This ice cream cake wants to be in your belly.

Ingredients

Scale

1 1/4 cups chocolate ice cream
1 1/4 cups vanilla ice cream
6 oreo cookies
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
2 cups heavy cream, separated
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 TBL sprinkles

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Crush the oreo cookies and spread them out on a cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven and cool completely.

3. Make the ganache. In a small saucepan, heat 1/3 cup heavy cream over medium-low heat until it barely begins to bubble. Remove from heat. Whisk in chocolate chips until smooth. Cool completely.

4. Make the whipped cream frosting. Beat remaining heavy cream, powdered sugar and vanilla on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.

5. Cover the inside of a 6 x 3in round pan with plastic wrap.

6. Make a thin wall (about 1/4 in thick) of whipped cream along the inner sides of the pan (optional). Freeze for at least 30 minutes.

7. Press chocolate ice cream into bottom of pan. Then layer the ganache, oreo cookie crumbles and lastly the vanilla ice cream. Freeze at least one hour.

8. Carefully remove plastic wrap from cake. Using an offset spatula, spread whipped cream on top and sides of cake. I used Wilton tip #32 to pipe a border around the top and bottom.

9. Cover with sprinkles, if desired. Freeze for at least one hour. Best eaten within one week. Enjoy!!!

Notes

Let the ice cream sit out to soften (about 10 minutes). Softened ice cream is much easier to spread.
Making the whipped cream wall is optional. I do this because it makes frosting the cake more foolproof. Ice cream cakes melt quickly, and having the layer of frozen whipped cream prevents any melting chocolate or cookie crumbs from getting in the way while you are quickly trying to frost.

Keywords: ice cream cake