Ice Cream Cake

When I say "ice cream cake," if you're anything like me, you probably start singing that Baskin Robbins song in your head (Ice cream and cake and cake, ice cream and cake, do the ice cream and cake). And if you are anything like me, the thought of making an ice cream cake seems a little daunting. It's so easy and they are so much better when you make them. Let's begin this madness.

Step 1: Choose your candy. You'll need something to be a crust, to go between the layers, and to top your cake. I like to use some kind of cookie or brownie on the bottom (actually, my fave is Oreos). You can grind this in the food processor and mix with a little melted butter, or you can just lay it down flat in your pan. You'll want to use a spring form pan. Once your crust is in, you'll want to freeze for a little bit to get things solid. With your other candies (center/topping), you'll want to freeze your ingredients so they chop easily. Once frozen, run them through a food processor to make candy chunks. Snickers, Reeses, or Kit-Kats are my favorite. The only thing I wouldn't freeze is if you're gonna shave chocolate on the top. It's way easier to shave room temperature chocolate.

Step 2: Choose your ice cream. You'll want to do at least 2 layers, so choose ice cream flavors that go well together and with your chosen candy. You can choose any flavor you want; don't limit yourself to just plain vanilla and chocolate. It's your cake! Just make sure the flavors all jive together and won't overpower each other. Also, make sure you leave the ice cream out for about 30 minutes before putting it into your cake so that it's moldable.

Step 3: Get it all together!

• Cookie/brownie layer - after forming in pan, freeze for about 10 minutes before the next layer.
• Ice cream layer #1 - scoop out and smooth over your bottom later and then freeze for 15 or so minutes before the next layer.
• Candy layer - sprinkle a layer of your chopped up candy over the ice cream. This layer can be as thick or as thin as you'd like. Freeze for 5 minutes or so before moving on.
• Ice cream layer #2 - same as layer #1.
• Icing layer - many ice cream cakes have icing layers on the top. I prefer whipped cream on the top because I like it better. But this is your cake. Do whatever you want! Smooth your topping on the last layer of ice cream and then sprinkle with a final layer of candy (if desired).

Here's the thing about an ice cream cake. You can do as many or as few layers as you want and you can use whatever kind of ice cream and candy you want. I've even done a vegan organic version with soy ice cream and vegan cookies.
This is a picture of the cake I made for Heather's birthday. As you can see, we left it out a little too long and the sides started melting. However, it was way easy to cut! To make it easier to cut, dip the knife in hot water and wipe it off after each cut. Also, leave the cake out for a good 20-30 minutes before cutting.

This particular cake was complimented by all of the eaters as "the best ice cream cake I've ever had." And the people who said that are not the kind of people to praise lightly. Let me tell you what my cake included.
Layer 1: ground oreos with 2 tbsp butter
Layer 2: vanilla ice cream (the good stuff that you can see vanilla bean in)
Layer 3: crumbled Snickers bars
Layer 4: chocolate brownie ice cream
Layer 5: Cool Whip
Layer 6: shaved Harry David chocolate

Linked up at Little Brick Ranch and Tatertots and Jello