DIY- Ice Cream Cake Recipe

Summer is finally here! We love eating ice cream year round, but summer allows us even more opportunities to cool ourselves with our favorite flavor! Waffle cones, dishes, sundaes and floats are many peoples go-to way to enjoy ice cream...but have you ever thought of trying your hand at making an ice cream cake? We often get asked if Bridgeman's makes ice cream cakes and the quick answer is no (due to current logistical obstacles).  However, we do have some great techniques to help you make your own at home to share with family and friends!

A few weeks ago, we were invited to our first BBQ of the season and tasked with the job of bringing dessert. Of course, we had our favorite flavor on hand along with some cones for the kiddos but we wanted an opportunity to kick it up a notch for the adults.  This recipe was super easy to execute and only required a few hours of freezing between steps before we had a delicious, made from scratch ice cream cake to share! 

What You'll Need

• 9" Springform Pan
• Pack of Oreos (25 cookies)
• Plastic Bag
• Rolling Pin
• Spatula
• Mixing Bowl
• 48oz Tub Bridgeman's Ice Cream
• 5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
• Jar of Fudge Topping
• 1 Bottle of Magic Shell Topping
• Cling Wrap
• Access to a Freezer

First we were tasked with making a crust. We were going to a larger gathering and knew a few of our friends were gluten free. We decided to make two ice cream cakes. One with regular oreos and one with gluten free oreos. Bridgeman's ice cream, fudge topping and magic shell are almost always gluten friendly (with the exception of Cookie Dough Ice Cream!) so we thought this should be an easy, gluten free option.  Both crusts/cakes were made the exact same way with the exception of the type of cookie we chose.  First, we put 25 cookies in a plastic bag and went to town crushing them! My 3 year old daughter was very excited to help with this step! First we crushed them with our hands and then used the rolling pin to get them as small as we could (I would also recommend using a food processor for speed). 

After we crushed our oreos into fine pieces, it was time to mix with the melted butter. We poured all the crumbs into a big mixing bowl and stirred together with 5 tablespoons of unsalted butter - melted. (We might have lost a few oreos along the way and still had plenty to cover the bottom of our pan.) After it was all mixed together, we took our spring form pan and pressed it tightly into the bottom. 

Here is where you have a choice to make. We decided we wanted the crunchier option and baked for 8 minutes. This option is great for texture but also can make cutting through the crust once frozen a bit harder. I think next time we will experiment with the no bake version and see how that goes. 

1. For a no-bake cake: chill the crust about 30 minutes before filling, then fill/chill as directed in the recipe.
2. For a crunchier option: bake the crust for 8 minutes at 350°F then cool completely before filling.
    
   
    
   After our crust was baked and cooled, we spread a layer of fudge on top. We LOVE chocolate in our house and used an entire jar. 
    
   
    
   After we added the layer of fudge, we stuck our pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour. This allowed everything to harden making it much easier to add the ice cream layer next.  As mentioned before, we decided to make two ice cream cakes. For our gluten free one, we chose Vanilla. For our regular oreo crust, we chose Caramelicious (both ice creams are gluten friendly).  One 48oz tub of Bridgeman's Ice Cream covered the pan perfectly. We let the ice cream sit out for about 10-15 minutes to soften. This made spreading much easier.
    
   Note: the higher the sugar content the quicker the ice cream melts. Caramelicious is one of our "softer" ice creams and while delicious it was much harder to work with and serve. The vanilla proved to hold its shape much longer and was easier to cut and serve. 
    
     
    
   After we spread our ice cream on top, we covered in plastic wrap and chilled in the freezer for 1 hour. You can leave this in the freezer until ready to serve. 
    
   
    
   Once the ice cream was frozen, we were ready for our final step before serving.  Take the ice cream out of the freezer and remove from the springform pan.  This can be tricky and you might need to use your spatula again (or a thin knife along the edges) to help separate.  We put ours on a larger plastic plate so there was room for dripping just in case....I mean, it is ice cream we are dealing with here! 
   
    
   Now, my husband who is truly the baker of the family was offended that I would buy pre-made Magic Shell. According to him, he could have quickly made some by melting chocolate chips and coconut oil together. But let's be honest, I have two kids age 3 and under and certain short cuts had to be taken.  Here is a quick recipe for those of you that might want to tackle the additional step of the homemade Magic Shell (I would probably double the recipe below if you make your own):
    
    INGREDIENTS
   • 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (you can use milk or dark chocolate if you prefer)
   • 3 tablespoons coconut oil measured when solid

   INSTRUCTIONS

   • Add the chocolate chips and coconut oil to a microwave safe bowl. Microwave in 20-30 second increments, making sure to stir very well after each increment, until completely melted and smooth.
   • Allow to cool for a few minutes

    

   Next, we took the top off and slowly poured all the Magic Shell chocolate onto the top of the ice cream cake. I used a small spatula and quickly and evenly spread across the top before it hardened. This is a race against the clock! I had about 15-30 seconds max before it started hardening and couldn't be spread. I think next time, as my skill improves, I could have made it "more pretty" with the chocolate dripping down the sides. 

    

   

   Ta Da! Ready to serve! Make sure to have a sharp knife and a helper to pass out the pieces of cake. A nice presentation requires quick serving as the ice cream will start to soften quickly once cut. Our Caramelicious cake almost immediately started to soften once we were cutting. However, the Vanilla ice cream held its form much better and was left out for 20 minutes before it started to get "too soft".  If I had really been thinking, I would have added some sprinkles on top of the Magic Shell layer for some great color. 

   Overall, the ice cream cakes were a huge success! If you like a sweeter cake, the Caramelicious definitely gave you that. If you want to hold back a notch for those who don't like something "too sweet" we would definitely recommend sticking with Vanilla or maybe Chocolate Chip. 

   Recommended Flavors:

   Vanilla

   Strawberry

   Peppermint Bon Bon

   Praline Pecan

   Chocolate Chip

   Raspberry Fudge Torte

   Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (NOT gluten friendly)

   I would LOVE to try making one with our Salted Caramel Espresso, however that is just as soft (if not more soft) than our Caramelicious and might be quite hard to work with.