This easy ice cream cake recipe makes a great birthday cake and feeds a crowd! Made with store bought ice cream to be super easy, but homemade caramel and ganache to be extra delicious!
Stop! Do not pass go. Do not collect $200. There’s something important to announce!
We made it to 100!! Posts, that is. Celebrations are in order. And cake! Ice cream cake. Oh, yes.
I say “we” because I couldn’t have ever made it this far without you. Without you reading, gawking, commenting, making and sharing my recipes, I would have no motivation or reason to continue posting. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Seriously, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for all your love, support and inspiration.
100!! Guys, that’s soooo many! It’s hard to believe that in just two years I’ve managed to write a story, take a picture, and develop a recipe that many times. I’ve come a long way since my start, evidenced mostly by the progression of my photography.
What’s really crazy is that in 2 years and 100 posts, there has yet to be a single recipe for cake. There’s certainly no shortage of sweets here, but how about that? No cake! Until now.
It’s no secret that I have a major sweet tooth a mouth full of sweet teeth. But in a world of flaky pastries, chewy cookies and creamy custards, cake has never really buttered my bread the way the others do. Don’t get me wrong now, I like cake. A lot! They’re certainly the prettiest desserts out there, but they rarely top my list of favorites.
In fact, I’ve always thought ice cream cakes to be far superior to any other kind of cakes. First of all, it’s ice cream, which doesn’t really need any further justification in my eyes. Second, there’s no baking involved, which is music to my sweaty, refusing-to-turn-on-the-AC ears. Just plenty of very-welcome trips to the freezer. We’ll get back to ovens when the weather cools down again.
Now, I have to be honest, this isn’t the first ice cream cake I’ve made. I’ve been holding out! Trying to get the mix of flavors and textures just right before passing it on. The last one I made had crushed pretzels in the middle which seemed genius in theory, but then they turned soggy and lost all their moxie. See what I’m saying? This cake has no shortage of moxie. I promise it’s worth the wait. And the calories. Just look at it!
We start out with a buttery chocolate graham cracker crust, which is then sealed with a thin layer of chocolate ganache, and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. That’s only the beginning! It just gets better from here. Next, we pile on a whole half-gallon of vanilla ice cream – store bought is fine – followed by more buttery chocolate crumbs and a thick layer of homemade salted caramel. More ice cream. More ganache. More chocolate crumbs. More caramel. More salt.
Out. Of. Control.
This is a cake for indulging. A cake for sharing. A cake for celebrating. I hope you make it!
Here’s to 100 more. Cheers!
- 18 chocolate graham crackers, pulverized into crumbs
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), melted
- 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup*
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 half-gallons vanilla ice cream
- 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
- Mix together the chocolate graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Pour in the melted butter and mix until the crumbs are fully moistened. Scoop out half of the crumbs into a 9-inch wide, 3-inch deep spring form pan that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan, forming an even layer that creeps up about an inch on the sides. Take the remaining crumbs and spread them out onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place both pans in the freezer to set up for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- Heat the heavy cream in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it just starts to bubble. Remove from the heat and pour in the chocolate chips. Stir until the chips are fully melted, and the ganache is smooth and shiny.
- Place the sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan over medium heat and swirl the pan around gently until the sugar melts. Try to avoid stirring unless absolutely necessary. Cook the sugar until it starts to turn amber in color, then remove from the heat and add in the heavy cream and butter. Be very careful, as it will bubble up and foam immensely at this point. Rapidly stir until everything is incorporated. Place the pot back on the stove and cook over medium heat until it turns a shade or two darker. Keep a close eye on it, as you don't want it to go too far. Remove it from the heat, and stir in the salt and vanilla. Allow to cool to room temperature before assembling the cake.
- Remove the spring form pan from the freezer and pour half of the ganache over top. Spread it out into an even layer, then sprinkle with a teaspoon of flaky sea salt. Place the pan back in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the pan from the freezer, and scoop out one half gallon of vanilla ice cream. Spread the ice cream out evenly, pressing it down so there are no air bubbles or gaps. Place back in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the sheet pan of chocolate crumbs from the freezer and crumble into small pieces. Remove the spring form pan from the freezer and pour 2/3 of the chocolate crumbs over the layer of ice cream. Next, pour 3/4 of the salted caramel over the chocolate crumbs, then place back in the freezer for another 30 minutes.
- Remove the spring form pan from the freezer and scoop out the remaining half gallon of ice cream. Spread it out over the caramel layer, pressing down to remove any air bubbles or gaps. Place back into the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer and pour the remaining ganache over the top, spreading it out into an even layer. Crumble the last of the chocolate crumbs over top, then douse with the remaining salted caramel, and top with a teaspoon of flaky sea salt. Place back in the freezer for one more hour, or until ready to serve.
- When ready to serve, remove the cake from the freezer and run the outside of the pan under hot running water, being very careful to not let any touch the top. Release the hinge on the side of the pan, and remove the sides. To cut, dip a long, sharp knife in HOT water for a few seconds, and then slice into the cake. Repeat for every slice.
- *Corn syrup (NOT high fructose) helps to keep the caramel from crystalizing. It can be omitted if desired, though results may vary.
Nicole Gaffney, aka Coley, is a professionally trained chef, recipe developer, tv host and food writer.
Congratulations, Nicole!!! This is definitely the best way I could ever think of to celebrate. I wish I could dig into this ice cream cake with you! 100 posts down… Here’s to 100 more!
Thanks my love!! I can’t believe I made it this far. Next time you’re in NJ, an ice cream cake is in order!!
Hi coley
Can you substitute the corn syrup for maple syrup?
Thanks
If you’re opposed to the corn syrup, I would just leave it out. It helps prevent crystallization, but can be done without it. It acts as insurance, so to speak. Results may vary without, but you’d be better off that way than subbing maple syrup, as it will react differently and will alter the flavor a bit. Let me know how it turns out!
Oh no you didn’t! I think this cake is illegal in 10 states, sure happy Massachusetts isn’t one of them???? I think I deserve this for my birthday in Nov.????
And Congratulations I’ve throughly enjoyed sharing your food adventure ????
Thanks Holly!!! If this cake is wrong, I don’t wanna be right!!!
Keep up the awe inspiring recipes and photos. Can’t wait to see what the next 100 posts have to offer.
Thanks Karen!
Congratulations on ‘100’ pages! I love your excitment and recipes!!! Keep up the great work!! This ice cream cake will be on our table this fall!! Thank you! Joel
Thanks, Joel!! I hope you love the cake, but I can’t see how it’s possible not to!!
O-M-G. First of all congrats on your great accomplishment.
Now to the cake….
It looks amazing. Like cake porn or something.
Please don’t ever post anything like this ever again. How can I possibly go on working with THIS THING planted in my brain and my kitchen downstairs calling to me?
You are a bad influence on me.
But I love you of course.
Yay you!
Thanks, Winnie!! I hope to continue to be a bad influence on you for many more years to come <3
Now that’s what I’m talking about!!! My heart is going pitter patter over all that gooey caramel sea salt and chocolate ganache. I wish I could help you eat this thing to celebrate. Congrats on 100 and looking forward to hundreds more! ????????????
Thanks Danielle! Wish you were here to help me eat it, too!!
Oh this is perfect for summer! Packed with all the things I love and frozen.. what more can I ask for?! Thanks for sharing, that caramel looks divine! Congrats for 100 and many more to come!
Thank you so much! I hope you give it a try!
Oh my god.. what a cake! If only I could justify making it during this winter weather here in Australia…
Oh, Thalia! You of all people can justify making this in winter!! Cake is cake, girl!! 🙂
This cake looks like a delicious way to celebrate! Congrats!!
Thank you so much!!
i am making this as we speak for my daughter’s 20th bday. she chose this over a store bought so i am thrilled! except…i am only halfway through and to the top of the springform….thinking a half gallon of ice cream (in retrospect) may have been the way to go! HOW did you do it???
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that – but glad you decided to make the cake! My springform pan is 9 inches wide and 3 inches deep. Is yours smaller? That’s the only reason why that I can think of. I’m going to change the recipe to reflect the pan size. It should be tasty regardless! Hope this was helpful.
Hi, can this cake be made one week in advance or will it take freezer’s taste?
Absolutely! Just be sure to wrap it really well with plastic wrap Once it’s frozen solid (to prevent sticking) and remove it before it defrosts.
Hi- I’m making this for my boys for their birthday and I’m probably over thinking, but when you say 18 graham crackers, do you mean the whole four quarters counts as 1 graham cracker or just the half (2 quarters)??? I’m afraid I’ll have way too much or way too little crumb mixture! Thanks!
Hey Missy!! Thanks for asking such a great question. In this recipe I count all 4 quarters of the graham as 1 cracker. Hope this is helpful! Please report back on how it turns out. 🙂
It turned out AMAZING! Everyone loved it. I actually had to use gluten free chocolate graham crackers (pamela’s) but it was still delicious and so gorgeous. Thanks very much — my twins were very happy!
Yayy!! So, so, so glad to hear it. Im already planning my next ice cream cake creation. Stay tuned!! 🙂
I made this yesterday for my grandson’s birthday today and it was a hit love it I even have a request to make it again
Fantastic!! I’m so glad it was a hit. I’m playing around with some different flavor combinations to make this year. Stay tuned for the next ice cream cake recipe! 🙂
How many cups will 18 chocolate graham biscuits yield? I’m in a city whiere graham biscuits are hard to get and thinking of using Oreo cookies in place of it (if that works )
Hey Joy! It comes out to around 2 cups. Just scale back the butter a bit if using oreos to make up for the cream. 🙂
Made this for our 4th of July party and it was just lovely! I had the 9″ by 3″ pan and had the same “issue”… The amount of ice cream was just too much! I still have half a gallon or so left. I’m guessing I would have been fine with a standard size container of ice cream, not the specialty size of a gallon. Super delicious!
Is there a substite i can use for the flacky sea salt?
The flaky salt gives a really great crunchy texture. If you want, you can replace it with Kosher salt (I don’t recommend table salt), but I’d scale back by about half since the flaky salt takes up more volume. Hope this is helpful!
Help! This recipe is so delicious. I made this cake last year for my husbands birthday and it turned out amazing. I am trying to make it again for my father-in-law’s birthday but am having a really hard time with the caramel. I didn’t have any issues last time, but for some reason when I add the cream and butter to the melted sugar it hardens and cannot incorporate. I assume I cooked the sugar too long, but it wasn’t even fully melted when I added the cream and butter. Do you know why I’m having trouble?
Thanks!
Brandy
Hey Brandi! Hope this getting to you in time. It’s so hard to help you troubleshoot without having a better idea of what’s going on! What color was the sugar when you added the butter and cream? Was it liquified totally? Did it smoke or smell burnt? Was your butter and cream cold? Did you try to stir over the heat again for a while! If you can answer some of those questions I’ll do my best to help!!
Thanks for getting back to me! I tried it 5 times and finally figured out that I needed to use room temperature cream. Once I got that right everything turned out great! It was a huge hit and everyone loved it. Thanks for the help!
Brandy