Best Ice Cream Cake Recipe
Everyone loves a classic ice cream cake, but this homemade version will blow them away!
The secret? It’s actually a lot easier to make than it sounds, and I’m going to show you exactly how. I’ve prepared this recipe dozens of times and will teach you all my tips and tricks for putting together this show stopping dessert!
Homemade Ice Cream Cake
I’m going to teach you all the chef secrets to making a perfectly drippy salted caramel sauce and a rich and smooth chocolate ganache. These homemade elements get layered with store bought ice cream and a simple chocolate graham cracker crust to give Carvel a run for its money!
There are a few steps involved in making your own ice cream cake, but the process is simple and it's so worth it. This recipe is a guaranteed hit, and the best part is it can be made up to a week in advance!
If you're a salted caramel lover like me, you have to try my recipe for easy sea salted caramels or these extra fudgy salted caramel brownies.
For a fun fruity cake, try this Lemon Blueberry Poundcake or my Classic Italian Ricotta Cake with Pears!
Why This Recipe Works
- No baking required.
- Made easy with store bought ice cream.
- Homemade caramel and chocolate ganache make it extra special.
- Make it up to a week ahead for easy entertaining.
- Major wow factor.
- Feeds a crowd - up to 16 servings!
Chocolate Ice Cream Cake Ingredients
- Chocolate graham crackers - You can also substitute Oreo cookie crumbs or chocolate wafer crumbs.
- Chocolate chips - I use semi sweet chocolate, but you can use milk chocolate or dark chocolate if you prefer.
- Light corn syrup - This is NOT high fructose corn syrup, and is used to keep the caramel sauce from crystallizing.
- Heavy Cream - Use real heavy whipping cream and do not substitute light cream or anything low fat or the recipe will not work.
- Vanilla extract - use real vanilla extract, not imitation. For best results, use homemade vanilla extract!
- Ice cream - I use vanilla flavored store-bought ice cream for ease and simplicity. But feel free to use chocolate ice cream or experiment with different flavors. You will need one whole gallon, which seems like a lot, but it all gets pressed down to fit.
- Flaky sea salt - Be sure to use a large flake sea salt like Maldon for the best crunch!
*Full ingredient list with quantities is in the recipe card.
Ice Cream Cake Recipe Tools
- Springform pan - A deep pan with removable sides is key for any ice cream cake recipe. Use a 9-inch wide, 3-inch deep springform pan.
- Food Processor - To pulverize the graham crackers. You can also place them in a sealed bag and run a rolling pin over them, or crush them with your hands.
How to make an Ice Cream Cake
Make the crust
- Mix together the chocolate graham cracker crumbs, sugar and salt in a medium or large 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 springform 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 prepared 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.
Make the Ganache
- 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.
Make the Salted Caramel Sauce
- 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 stir 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, then stir in the salt and vanilla. Allow to cool to room temperature before assembling the cake.
Assemble the Cake
- Remove the springform 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 half the gallon of vanilla ice cream. Spread it out evenly, pressing it down firmly 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.
- Sprinkle ⅔ of the chocolate crumbs over the ice cream layer. Then pour ¾ of the cooled salted caramel over the chocolate crumbs and place back in the freezer for another 30 minutes.
- Scoop out the remaining half gallon of ice cream and spread it out over the caramel layer, pressing down firmly to fit it all in. It should come right up to the top of the spring form pan. Place back into the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Remove from the freezer and pour the remaining ganache over the top of the ice cream, spreading it out into an even layer. Crumble the last of the chocolate crumbs over top of the cake, then douse with the remaining salted caramel and top with a teaspoon of flaky sea salt. Place back in the freezer for at least one more hour, or up to a week before serving.
Best Ice Cream Cake Recipe Tips
- Press it: You should be able to fit all of the ice cream into the pan by pressing down very firmly and making sure there are no air bubbles or gaps.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to soften prior to serving.
- When ready to serve, release the hinge on the side of the pan, and remove the sides. Keep in the pan or move to a serving platter.
- Dip a sharp knife in HOT water for a few seconds and then slice into the cake. Repeat dipping the knife in hot water prior to cutting each slice of cake.
Best Ice Cream Cake Recipe Variations
The cool thing about this recipe is that it is SO versatile.
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One easy way to change up the flavor of the cake is to experiment with different flavors of ice cream. I love using chocolate, cookies and cream, rocky road and cookie dough!
You can also swap out the chocolate graham crackers for regular graham crackers, crushed up pretzels, Oreo cookies or saltine crackers for a more unique crust. You can’t go wrong!
Another way to vary this cake is to swap out the caramel sauce for something else, like butterscotch or a peanut butter sauce.
This cake is very forgiving and can be easily adapted to your favorite flavors. Use it as a guide to play around and have fun!
How to serve Ice Cream Cake
This cake is a masterpiece all on its own, but here are a few ideas for serving if you really love to pile on the sweets.
- Top with extra chocolate chips, whipped cream and a maraschino cherry!
- Serve alongside a glass of Homemade Cold Brew Coffee or a shot of espresso for an affogato!
Homemade Ice Cream Cake Recipe FAQs
It needs to be frozen solid for at least an hour before serving, but longer is better. If it's exceptionally hot where you are, try serving the cake indoors. Return cake to the freezer immediately after serving.
I love the rustic look of the cookie crumbles, ganache and homemade caramel oozing down the sides.
Wrap the entire cake in plastic wrap a few times and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Yes! Just wrap them tight in a few layers of plastic wrap.
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Homemade Ice Cream Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Crust + Cookie Crumbs
- 18 chocolate graham crackers pulverized into crumbs (about 3 cups)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 ½ sticks, melted
For the Ganache
- 1 ¼ cups heavy cream
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
For the Salted Caramel
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup*
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Assembly
- 2 half-gallons vanilla ice cream
- 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
Instructions
Make the Crust + Cookie Crumbs
- 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.
Make the Ganache
- 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.
Make the Salted Caramel
- 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 caramel from the heat, and stir in the salt and vanilla. Allow to cool to room temperature before assembling the cake.
Assemble 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.
- Scoop out one half gallon of vanilla ice cream and spread it out evenly on top of the ganache, 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 ⅔ of the chocolate crumbs over the layer of ice cream. Next, pour ¾ of the salted caramel over the chocolate crumbs, then place back in the freezer for another 30 minutes.
- Scoop out the remaining half gallon of ice cream and spread it out over the caramel layer, pressing down firmly to fit it all in. Make sure there are no air bubbles or gaps, then place back into the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Pour the remaining ganache over the top and spread 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 up to one week before serving.
Notes
- You should be able to fit all of the ice cream into the pan by pressing down very firmly and making sure there are no air bubbles or gaps.
- Remove the cake from the refrigerator for about 10 minutes to soften prior to serving.
- When ready to serve, release the hinge on the side of the pan, and remove the sides. Keep in the pan or move to a serving platter.
- Dip a sharp knife in HOT water for a few seconds and then slice into the cake. Repeat dipping the knife in hot water prior to cutting each slice of cake.
This cake was a big hit. I did substitute one 1/2 gallon of salted caramel ice cream for one of the layers. I did have problems making the caramel sauce. I diligently swirled sugar for at least 30 minutes (also didn't know the sauce would take so long and though the flavor was delicious0, I ended up with crystalized chunks of caramel throughout. The caramel sauce was then hard on the cake (was thinking it would be soft like ganache. Not sure if this is how it is supposed to be or was because I struggled with the sauce..) To those who haven't made a layered ice cream cake-make sure you have many hours to make this. It was a good 4 hour project, waiting for each layer to freeze.
I need to freeze this for just a couple days. Do I freeze it in the spring form pan?
Omgosh! This was so good! I did cheat a little & just bought a good quality caramel sauce. I did run out of room in my spring pan so it was only bottom layer, ice cream, & then topping but everyone loved it! Definitely will make again. .
How many does this serve? Thanks!
16 solid servings or more if you cut them smaller!
Hi,
I was wondering if this could be made in a ,9x13 cake pan and if so, would you double the recipe?
Hey there. I think this could work in a 9x13 pan, the layers would be just a tad thinner. This recipe really packs the cake pan until it's almost overflowing. I would not double the recipe, you would have way too much. You could try doing 1 1/2 x the recipe, but I'm really not sure without trying it first myself. 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
I want to make this cake a few days in advance of the party. If I want to have the effect of the caramel sauce dripping down the sides (like in the photo) should I wait to put that final layer on until the cake comes out of the pan?
Put the ganache and crumbs on the final layer, but save the caramel to drizzle on right before serving. Store it in the refrigerator, but let it sit out at room temp or warm it up slightly just to loosen it up before using. For best results, put it in a squeeze bottle with a large opening!
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!
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!
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. 🙂
Could this be made in a 9x13 inch cake pan? If so, would you double the recipe?
I've never tried it but think it can work. I wouldn't double the recipe
I didn’t see a response to using Oreos and how much. I would omit the sugar but would like to use Oreos. How much or how many?
You need about 3 cups of crumbs, which takes about 36 Oreos. Hope that helps
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! 🙂
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!! 🙂
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.
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.
This cake looks like a delicious way to celebrate! Congrats!!
Thank you so much!!
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!! 🙂
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!
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!!
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!
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
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!!
Keep up the awe inspiring recipes and photos. Can't wait to see what the next 100 posts have to offer.
Thanks Karen!
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!!!