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Homemade Ice Cream Crunch Cake
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If you’re only going to make one ice cream cake recipe, this should be it. It doesn’t need a springform pan or a food processor. You don’t even need to bake anything. Layers of ice cream, crushed OREO Thins, hot fudge sauce, and homemade whipped cream are stacked, frozen, and ready to steal the spotlight at your next birthday party (or Tuesday). This one’s easy, fun, and actually holds together when you slice it. Not all ice cream cakes can say that.
Ice Cream Cake Basics
This no-bake, super simple recipe is made up of three different parts. All equally important and delicious.
The Ice Cream
I used two 1.5 quart containers of Breyers ice cream; one chocolate and one vanilla. That’s 3 whole quarts of ice cream OR 3/4 of a gallon if you’re counting. See my variations below to switch things up.
The Crunchy Filling
Falling in love with Dairy Queen Crunch Cakes at an early age, I’ve learned that magic shell and chocolate wafer crackers aren’t going to cut it for me! Plus, I could make it better. 😉 So I used crushed OREO Thins and store bought hot fudge sauce. And it was so good. It was decided by everyone that this was the most delicious part of the cake.
The Ice Cream Cake Frosting
The “frosting” of an ice cream cake is actually just homemade whipped cream! It’s easy to spread, easy to slice, and adds a little extra delicious creamy bite to the cake.
Ingredients Needed For Ice Cream Cake
For full recipe details, including ingredients needed and measurements, see the printable recipe card down below.
Here’s what you’ll need to make this homemade ice cream cake:
- Vanilla ice cream – Softened just enough to press into a smooth, even layer
- Chocolate ice cream – The other half of this dreamy duo
- Hot fudge sauce – Adds that rich, chocolatey drama right in the middle
- OREO Thins – Crushed into small pieces for the perfect crunchy layer
- Heavy whipping cream – Whipped until it hits stiff peaks
- Sugar – To lightly sweeten the whipped cream frosting
- Vanilla extract – Just a splash makes a big difference
- Rainbow sprinkles – Optional, but honestly, why not?
Variations
- Swap the OREO Thins with chocolate chips, candy bars, or crushed cookie dough bites
- Stir peanut butter into the hot fudge for a salty-sweet combo
- Try Cool Whip instead of homemade whipped cream for a shortcut
- Use a layer of pound cake between the ice cream layers for an actual cake layer
Try Different Ice Cream Flavor Combinations
Using different flavors of ice cream, types of cookies or fillings can really allow you freedom in creating a unique and super delicious ice cream cake. Here are a few ideas! The sky really is the limit here.
- Mint Chocolate Chip: Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream + crushed thin mint cookies + hot fudge filling
- Butter Pecan: Butter Pecan ice cream + chopped pecans and shortbread cookies + butterscotch filling
- Chocolate Brownie: Chocolate Brownie ice cream + chopped brownie filling + chocolate sauce filling
- Reese’s: Reese’s Peanut Butter Ice Cream + chopped Reese’s Peanut butter cups and chopped peanuts + hot fudge sauce filling
- Ultimate Oreo: Oreo ice cream + chopped Oreos + hot fudge filling
How to Make Ice Cream Cake
While the process to making an ice cream cake is super simple, it is time consuming (freeze times) and you’ll want to plan ahead. For full recipe details, see the printable recipe card and helpful tutorial video down below.
1. Remove Ice Cream from Freezer + Prep Cake Pans
Remove ice cream from the freezer and defrost about 15 minutes. While ice cream is softening, line two 8-inch cake pans well with plastic wrap, leaving several inches of overhang.
2. Spoon + Press Ice Cream into Prepared Pans + Freeze
Spoon soft ice cream into each prepared pan, pressing down to remove air bubbles as you go. Cover with plastic wrap and press down evenly to smooth the top. Freeze for 8-12 hours or until hardened.
3. Place Serving Platter into Freezer (1 hour before)
1 hour before assembling cake, place serving platter into freezer. (Make sure your platter can freeze!)
4. Make the Whipped Cream Frosting + Refrigerate
Place heavy whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract into a large bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate.
5. Assemble the Cake
Remove ice cream layers and serving platter from freezer. Unwrap the tops of the ice cream layers and using the excess plastic wrap, remove layers from pans. Place chocolate layer on the bottom.
Smooth an even layer of hot fudge over the chocolate layer, leaving a 1/2 inch border.
Sprinkle crushed OREO Thins over hot fudge and press down gently. Add vanilla ice cream layer overtop.
Spread whipped cream overtop of the entire cake and add sprinkles as desired.
6. Freeze Cake Until Ready to Serve
Once the cake is assembled, place back into the freezer until ready to serve. (Remove cake from freezer about 15 minutes before ready to serve so it’s soft enough to slice through.)
Pro Tip: To get a clean cut slice, run very hot tap water over a large butcher knife. Place knife through the top of the ice cream cake and slice a triangle piece of your desired size. Rinse knife with hot water and repeat.
Storage + Make Ahead Directions
Store your ice cream cake in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in aluminum foil for up to one week. After that, ice crystals will begin to form and the flavor of the cake will begin to diminish.
To Make Ahead: You can make the ice cream layers ahead and keep them frozen for a few days before assembling. Just wait to add the whipped cream frosting until the last step to keep things fresh. If using fresh strawberries or other fruit, add just before serving.
More Ice Cream Recipes to Try!
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches
- Homemade Rocky Road Ice Cream
- Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
- Homemade Chocolate Ice Cream
- Ice Cream Sandwich Cake – easiest dessert ever
This is the easiest-ever ice cream cake, and the best part? It looks impressive but comes together with store-bought ice cream and a little planning. Make it once and you’ll never go back to the grocery store version again. The printable recipe card is below as well as a super helpful video! Enjoy!
If you make this recipe, I would really appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and leave your review in the comments! If you have a picture of your finished dish, post it on Instagram using the hashtag #laurenslatest and tagging me @laurens_latest.
Ice Cream Cake
This Homemade Ice Cream Cake recipe is better than store bought, guaranteed!! Filled with Oreos and hot fudge, this is the ultimate dessert.
Ingredients
- 1.5 quarts vanilla ice cream
- 1.5 quarts chocolate ice cream
- 3/4 cup hot fudge sauce
- 12 OREO thins crushed
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- rainbow sprinkles or other decorations as desired.
Instructions
- Remove ice cream from the freezer and defrost about 15 minutes.
- While ice cream is softening, line two 8-inch cake pans well with plastic wrap, leaving several inches of overhang.
- Spoon soft ice cream into each prepared pan, pressing down to remove air bubbles as you go. Cover with plastic wrap and press down evenly to smooth the top. Freeze for 8-12 hours or until hardened.
- 1 hour before assembling cake, place serving platter into freezer. (Make sure your platter can freeze!)
- Place heavy cream, sugar and vanilla into a large bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate.
- To assemble cake: remove ice cream layers and serving platter from freezer. Unwrap the tops of the ice cream layers and using the excess plastic wrap, remove layers from pans. Place chocolate layer on the bottom. Smooth an even layer of hot fudge over the chocolate layer, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Sprinkle crushed OREO thins over hot fudge and press down gently. Add vanilla layer overtop. Spread whipped cream overtop of the entire cake, add sprinkles as desired and freeze until ready to serve.
Video
Nutrition
Calories: 742kcalCarbohydrates: 86gProtein: 10gFat: 41gSaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 133mgSodium: 316mgPotassium: 632mgFiber: 3gSugar: 70gVitamin A: 1425IUVitamin C: 1.7mgCalcium: 312mgIron: 2.5mg
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This is such a great recipe! We use homemade hot fudge sauce, and coffee chocolate chip ice cream from our local creamery.
How much ice cream would you use if you are making a 9×13 inch rectangular ice cream cake?
5 stars all the way
Love it ♥️♥️♥️♥️
Hi. I’ve been making these for years. Mine always fall apart in the middle. The layers don’t stay together. I do not make separate ice cream layers. I do a layer at a time and freeze in between. Any idea why the layers separate?
This was amazing and easy! I brought it to a Birthday Party and it was a hit. I used Tillamook’s Mint chocolate chip and Rocky Road ice creams. I Only used 1 quart of each and put each in an 8 inch cake pan and froze them overnight and it was plenty. I used about 3/4 of a jar of hot fudge sauce but probably would use a full jar next time. Also used thin Oreos, put them in a bag and crushed them up. I also drove about 20 minutes to the party and it stayed frozen in a cooler bag with some ice thingies. For decoration I just put some of the hot fudge in a bag with a tip and squeezed spirals all around it and it was beautiful. Thanks so much for the recipe and I’ll definitely make this again.
I. Like the cakes I m so happy
Very easy and delicious!
My family loves ice cream cakes so this will be way better then buying from the store.
Just wow!!
Omg looks so simple. Going to try it soon. Thanks for sharing.
Can the ice cream freeze in the pans for longer than 12 hours?
Yes, you can keep it in the freezer for days before you assemble it.
Kids loved it!! No one complained. Someone asked for the link. Nuff said.
A great filling that taste just like the carvel cakes is mixing magic shell chocolate ice cream topping (that stuff that hardens on your ice cream when it gets cold) and nabisco chocolate wafers. Just plain chocolate. You put wafers in a food processor and pulse then squirt magic shell until still crumbly but moist enough to blend together. You don’t want wafers soggy. That’s it.
How long in advance can you make and store this recipe? days? A week?Thanks
As long as its covered well, you can keep it in the freezer for 1-2 weeks. But you do run the risk of the ice cream getting freezer burnt.
Thank you for taking the time to write the receipe and do a video. My question is, I’m making a bottom layer of vanilla, and top layer of butter pecan.
YOu suggested: Butter Pecan: Butter Pecan ice cream + chopped pecans and shortbread cookies + butterscotch filling
So, on top of the vanilla layer is where I’d do chopped pecans, crumbled shortbread cookies, and top it with (room temperature) butterscotch filling.. then the butter pecan layer, right??
Thanks for your help! Happy Thanksgiving
I would use all butter pecan ice cream (or maybe the bottom layer as butter pecan and the top as vanilla) with the filling being chopped pecans, crumbled shortbread cookies and butterscotch filling (ice cream sauce).
Lol, Induced coma. Sounds delicious!
Soooo delicious and beats store-made! Instead of freezing a cake plate, I used a frozen marble board (we had one for mixing ingredients into ice cream like Coldstone.)
I want to make this with a layer of chocolate chip cookie dough!!
Does anyone know of a GOOD EASY recipe?
I’ll be using Blue Bell ~ two step ice cream.
I’m trying to decide if I should make a fudge brownie or a layer of thin Oreos.
Any suggestions?!?!?
Trying to stay with the ice cream flavors!!
Thank you
My daughter is lactose intolerant. does anyone know if this will make well using lactose free ice cream?
Hello! I was wondering how long the cake will last in the freezer? Thanks!
Made this for my son’s 10th birthday. It was delicious, and the whipped cream frosting was divine (and I usually don’t like whipped cream or frosting)! Thank you for this great recipe.
i love cakes i made a strawberry cake
Why Oreo thins? Just wondering.
They are easier to cut and eat frozen.
So far this cake looks great. I used cake for the bottom layer though. The only thing is about the ingredients, you should specify WHIPPED CREAM instead of heavy whipping cream (which is liquid) and what I tried using ??♀️
If you look at the recipe card, it states in step #5 to whip the cream with the sugar and vanilla before using. So the listed heavy whipping cream in the recipe card is correct.
I tried that and it didnt work? Maybe I did it wrong? I am by no means a very experienced baker. I ended up using whipped cream instead and it worked well.
You have to whip the whipping cream in a mixer ( make sure mixer bowl is just out of freezer) on medium/high with a tablespoon of sugar and a dash of vanilla, whip until it thickens and the end process is whipped cream
Voila!
How long should I plan to freeze it once I add the whipped cream? Making for a very important 9 year old’s birthday!
You don’t have to necessarily freeze it for a certain amount of time after you add the cream, its just more to keep the ice cream frozen until you’re ready to serve. You can freeze this days in advance!
[…] Just remember to bake two layers of cake and to let them cool off before you can add the ice cream. Here is a recipe for fun at home […]
I made this ice cream cake yesterday!!!
so simple watch the video first… I used cookie dough ice cream then put on the cold hot fudge and then a layer of vanilla bean ..topped it with cool whip … Next time I would use Oreos and cream ice cream instead of the vanilla bean… or add crushed Oreos with the hot fudge …
Thanks for a great recipe!!! Stored perfectly on the plate in the Tupperware cake keeper… just set it in the deep freezer 🙂
I’m going to make this for a birthday party this coming weekend – Aug. 3, 2019. I think I’ll freeze my pans for 15 minutes before I add ice cream to keep things extra cold – – and I am thinking about using either a 9″ or 10″ springform pan to assemble the entire thing, instead of 2 pans. and just layer it in the one pan.
used to own basking robbins you need to keep the ice cream a solid as you can when you thaw and mix in you lose the air which is part of why it is creamy keep everything including the cake as frozen as you can a freezer at a ice cream place is well below 0 not just enough to freeze a flash freezer is 25 or more below
My friend worked at Baskin Robbins and made ice cream cakes. Cake layer on bottom, Soften the first kind of ice cream enough to spread and throw it back into the freezer. remove and add 2nd cake. Freezer. soften the next ice cream, spread and freeze again. That is the secret that she had. Keep it frozen while you work. Also keep the cake plate or whatever you plan to put the cake on, in the freezer. if it’s room temp it will start to melt the ice cream.
I forgot to add that your cake layers are also frozen when you assemble the cake.
How do you make cake layers? Do you make a regular cake and then horizontally slice it maybe 1/2 inch think?
I put my ice cream layers in the deep freezer overnight but when I tried assembling them they started melting so fast. I had put a cookie sheet in the deep freezer for over an hour. What am I doing wrong? I popped it back in the freezer but there is already a layer of melted chocolate ice cream all over the cookie sheet.
Sounds dumb, but did you NOT take the 2nd layer out until it was ready to put on top of the bottom layer? Also when I frost a cake, i cut strips of wax paper, maybe few inches wide, and insert the strips about 1/2 way under the bottom layer of the cake. All the drippings go on the wax paper and when you are done, just CAREFULLY pull the wax paper strips out from under the bottom layer and your cake plate is clean!
[…] ice cream with crunchy cookies + frosting (here’s an example) […]
Can you use a 9 inch pan instead of an 8 inch pan?
Yup, just will be slightly skinnier, but will still totally work 🙂
And you can make it in any shape that you make a cake. Oblong 9×13, square, whatever, just as long as it’s tall enough to hold the ice cream. Be sure to keep it in the freezer between each step.
The cake was a waste! Started melting right after being frozen for 13 hours.
Well, it is an ice cream cake… Maybe look into your freezer settings to ensure it’s as cold as it can be?
Thank you for the idea! I made it a little different to save the time it takes to freeze. I used parchment paper on my cake carrier, Then put the crushed Oreos in it. I bought a round tub of cookies & cream ice cream, let it sit out 15 minutes, and used a warm cloth to thaw it more. Next I cut it in half, leaving it round. I used some of the extra ice cream to smooth and even it out. Then pushed whole Oreos into the sides, half Oreos on top, crushed Oreos all over. No whipped cream.
I made this cake for a party tomorrow. What is the best way to store it in the freezer until then? Currently it is in a pan covered in cling wrap.
How long do you need to take the cake out of the freezer before slicing? I will be making this and traveling for about a half hour before I can get it back into a freezer. Any suggestions on transporting this?
I have been wanting to make this recipe for months and will make it for my birthday next week! Would 9 inch pans work and the sides don’t go higher than 1 inch or so.
They might be around 1 1/2 inches, I would guess.
Baskin Robbins suggests 10 minutes.
WARNING to those who might be planning to bring this somewhere: Breyers, the brand she suggests tastes great, but it will not freeze solid enough to last for any amount of time out of the freezer. You should plan to serve immediately and not be able to salvage your leftovers unless you use a different brand. I made this for a friend at work, and brought it with me in a cooler filled with ice. It was already runny after my fifteen minute commute. Even after putting it back in the freezer compartment of my mini-fridge, it was a puddle by lunch time. This is a great recipe for a party at home, but maybe stick with store bought if you’re going somewhere.
I love Ice cream cake !!!! This is the Bestest Birthday Cake I ever made. My Granddaughter Lauren’s Birthday was on January 12th, she turned 14!!!! Wow time sure does fly by fast..She flipped over this cake. My birthday gift to my family is to make their favorite birthday dinner, dessert & memory-something you can”t buy .Everyone flipped over it! Thank you “Lauren” this was so easy & fun to make.
[…] Homemade Ice Cream Cake Recipe […]
I thank you for the tips on making an ice cream cake. It was easy I used press and seal freezer wrap worked so good my cake pans were clean lol. I pressed the cookies into the ice cream then covered and froze the layers. No hot fudge. I stacked them easy. Used a cake board. No worries on freezing a cake plate.
I love anything relates to ice cream crunch 🙂 Can’t wait to try this recipe. Thank you for sharing!!
I made this cake for my husband’s birthday but with mint chip and grasshopper cookies. SO good. Next time I’m adding more fudge sauce 🙂 Thanks for sharing!!
Our family loves this cake and we enjoy experimenting with different flavors. Thanks for a fantastic recipe! There is no going back to DQ cakes now!
I have switched up flavors too, I used coffee and chocolate, yum
[…] Homemade Ice Cream Crunch Cake from Lauren’s Latest […]
Can you use store bought cool whip?
Yes!
I use 2 cups whipping cream whipped with 8 oz. softened cream cheese, assemble, frost and freeze the night before….
Yum. I am going to try this for the 4th of July!
I make a version of this but use a box mix brownie with fudge frosting for the bottom. It’s been the requested birthday cake for a while now. But the oreos thins is genius.
So one layer vanilla ice cream with Oreo crunch between and then fudge brownie omg he bottom?
I made this cake and it was amazing!! will you be posting a recipe for the ice cream “pie” you made for Brooke’s birthday??
This cake looks so good and easy! Thanks for the recipe!
I am making this today for my son’s 30th!! Do u recommend warming the hot fudge sauce to make it easier to spread or does it spread evenly right out of jar? I’m using Smuckers. Thanks!
No, I’d just dollop little bits over the top and spread as best as you can.
This looks amazing! I have a little guy who would rather eat ice cream than cake…plan to try this for his next birthday treat.
My birthday is coming up on the 27th and Dq ice cream cake is my favorite dessert. Might have to make this one instead of the store bought option ????
I normally use cool whip to ice my ice cream cakes- nothing beats it!
Hello
I m looking a ice cream peach cake recipie. I made it more than ten years ago i loved it but cant find it.