Ice Cream Sandwich Cake makes dessert easy. It’s a four-ingredient, no-bake, frozen treat that your whole family will love! Try it today!
Ice Cream Cakes are always a crowd-pleasing dessert, but they still require baking and a bit of time! This easy version has layers of ice cream sandwiches, Vanilla Ice Cream, and Strawberry Topping for a no-bake Frozen Dessert in no time. It’s the perfect summer dessert to bring out for a birthday party or serve after a cookout on a hot summer day. For more delicious, easy freezer treats, try my Ice Cream Sundae Casserole and Oreo Ice Box Cake.
Table of contents
Sabrina’s Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Recipe
Using ice cream sandwiches instead of baked cake layers is one of those “Why didn’t I think of this sooner?!” kind of life hacks! The chocolate sandwich wafers act like thin cake layers to break up the layers of ice cream. It’s sure to be a favorite summer treats because it’s easy, cool, creamy and best of all you don’t have to turn on an oven during the hot weather.
My recipe is simple with just four ingredients, and you can easily swap out ingredients or add flavors to make it exactly how you want. Try adding more classic ice cream toppings like hot fudge, or swap out the vanilla ice cream for your favorite flavors like chocolate, strawberry or even Rocky Road. Scroll to my Variations Section of this post for lots of fun ideas to change up this simple cake recipe.
Ingredients
- Ice cream sandwiches: To prepare this recipe, you’ll need 24 ice cream sandwiches total. You’ll use 12 sandwiches in each layer of the ice cream cake recipe. You may need to slice sandwiches placed around the edges to make them fit perfectly in your dish.
- Ice cream: The second essential component of Ice Cream Sandwich Cake is ice cream. In this recipe I used 48 ounces of vanilla ice cream. However, you can use other flavors if you prefer. Make sure to give the ice cream time to soften so it’s easy to spread.
- Strawberry topping: The syrupy, strawberry topping is an excellent way to add a sweet and slightly tart fruit flavor to break up the rich ice cream and chocolate flavors. You can use canned strawberry topping with real berries, or try my quick and easy Strawberry Topping with fresh berries from scratch.
- Sprinkles: Adding rainbow sprinkles is are a fun, easy way to decorate this cake. You can always try different colored sprinkles or add other small candy pieces if you prefer.
Kitchen Tools and Equipment
- Baking Dish: I used a regular 9×13 dish with deep sides. The longer pan lets you make a good size cake for a potluck without it being too thick.
- Spatula: You’ll need a sturdy large spatula to spread the thick, cold ice cream into a smooth even layer.
- Large Spoon: I used a large metal spoon to scoop the ice cream layers on top because it adds more ice cream in a flatter layer. This makes it faster and easier to spread than a thick rounded dollop from an ice cream scoop.
How to Make
Time needed: 15 minutes.
- Ice Cream Sandwich Base
Unwrap the ice cream sandwiches, and lay 12 ice cream sandwiches across the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking pan.
- Strawberry Layer
Spoon the strawberry topping over the ice cream sandwiches in an even layer.
- Add Ice Cream Filling
Scoop the vanilla ice cream over top of the strawberries, and carefully spread it into an even layer without mixing with the berries
- Second Sandwich Layer
Add the remaining ice cream sandwiches over the top of the ice cream. Gently press the sandwiches down into the ice cream without smashing it or forcing ice cream up the sides.
- Top Ice Cream Layer
Spread the remaining ice cream over the sandwich bars in an even layer, smoothing out the top as best you can.
- Decorate
Cover the top evenly in a layer of rainbow sprinkles to decorate. Pat down gently so they stick to the top of the ice cream.
- Serve and Freeze
Slice the ice cream cake into squares to serve. You can also top with whipped topping, cherries, and other sundae toppings.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 24 vanilla ice cream sandwiches , unwrapped
- 48 ounces vanilla ice cream , softened
- 11 ounces strawberry topping
- 1/4 cup rainbow sprinkles
Instructions
- Add 12 of the ice cream sandwiches to the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan.
- Add the strawberry topping evenly over the sandwiches.
- Spread half of the softened ice cream over the first layer.
- Top with remaining ice cream sandwiches and top with remaining ice cream.
- Sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles.
- Serve topped with whipped cream a maraschino cherry and more sprinkles.
Nutrition
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Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes. If you aren’t serving the ice cream cake right away, then you can store the cake in the freezer until you’re ready to serve. Carefully wrap the cake pan in plastic wrap, followed by a second layer of aluminum foil. Place the cake in the freezer. It will stay good for up to 1 week
Nutritional Facts
Tips & Tricks for Ice Cream Cake
Soften the Ice Cream
You want to soften the Ice cream for about 10 minutes. If the ice cream is too hard, it will be difficult to spread, especially over the strawberry layer without mixing with the berries. However, you don’t want the ice cream too soft or you’ll have to re-freeze it before serving and it will lose some of that creamy texture.
Slicing Your Ice Cream Cake
To easily cut your ice cream cake into clean slices, use a sharp serrated knife. Score the entire cake in a grid pattern, then cut along the scores to cut the cake into serving-sized squares. A good trick to make sure your knife cuts through the frozen dessert easily is heating the knife. Run the blade under hot water to heat it. Then it will melt the ice cream as it cuts through to make clean, easy slices.
How to Store
- Serve: This delicious Ice Cream Sandwich Cake is best enjoyed fresh, and you shouldn’t leave it at room temperature for more than an hour or so, or the ice cream filling will melt.
- Freeze: You can transfer the leftovers to a freezer safe container for storage. It’s best within the first few days, that’s when the chocolate wafers will taste freshest. However, stored properly it will stay good for up to 1 month.
Frequent Questions
Ice cream sandwiches are a classic frozen treat, traditionally made with soft, vanilla ice cream at the center between two wafers or cookies. Typical store-bought ice cream sandwiches are made with soft, chocolate cookies as the outer layer. They taste perfect in this Ice Cream Sandwich Cake recipe.
This popular summer treat, was first created in New York. According to Forbes, in 1899, a street vendor invented the sandwich as a way to beat the heat. He sold them from his cart, and they became wildly popular. It was the perfect frozen treat that people could eat on the go. Soon other vendors also began selling the sandwiches, and they took off.
Instead of mixing batter and baking a classic cake, you add layers of ice cream, ice cream sandwiches, and delicious toppings to a cake pan. It’s a simple matter of adding the ingredients and spreading them into even layers then popping it into the freezer until firm and you are ready to serve it.
Variations
- Candy Ice Cream Cake: An easy way to add a fun twist to this ice cream cake is by layering in your favorite candy pieces. Chop up candy bars like Snickers, Kitkats, Crunch bars into small pieces before adding on top of the ice cream layers. Or use smaller types of candy like M&Ms, Reese’s Pieces, or mini peanut butter cups
- Oreo Ice Cream Cake: Turn this into a delicious Oreos (or Cookies n’ Creme) Ice Cream Cake. Simply crush Oreos into pieces, then add the pieces over each ice cream layer. Instead of the strawberry topping, spread a thick layer of fudgy Chocolate Ganache. To set the Ganache, freeze for 30 minutes before adding the other layers.
- Ice Cream Flavors: Another easy way to personalize this cake recipe is by swapping out the vanilla ice cream for another flavor. Chocolate Ice Cream would be a hit for chocolate lovers. You could also try strawberry ice cream, mint ice cream, cookie dough, cookies and cream, Birthday cake-flavored ice cream, or any of your other favorites. You could also do combinations of ice cream flavors that you like paired together.
- Toppings: You can add any of your favorite toppings for ice cream over this Ice Cream Sandwich Dessert. Try drizzling the finished cake with Hot Fudge or Caramel Sauce, or adding a dollop of Whipped Cream. You could also layer on chocolate chips, halved cherries, mini marshmallows, cookie crumbs, fresh berries, sliced bananas, or nuts to finish the cake.
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