This easy ice cream cake recipe is the hottest craze of summer and for a good reason. It's been making waves and getting tons of “likes” among dessert enthusiasts, foodies, and social media influencers!
Everything about them is delightful! They are delicious, beautiful, easy to do ahead, and have all the possible variations of Changeable Charlie blocks. (Please tell me if some of you remember that simple childhood toy. We were much more easily entertained back then.)
Easy ice cream cakes are genius. Albert Einstein quipped, “The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple.” These clever desserts are the chameleons of the dessert world, rewriting the script of traditional cakes.
Say goodbye to the same boring layers of cake and frosting and hello to creamy ice cream sandwiched between crisp cookies. It’s a playful reinvention of an old childhood favorite. Besides, who wants to heat up the oven to make a summer dessert? That's crazy!
The possibilities are endless! These desserts are today's changeable charlies! Just when you think you’ve nailed it, a new idea pops up! Why not unexpected flavors and textures?
Go off script and use raspberry or orange sherbet and lemon curd or raspberry coulee between those familiar chocolate rectangles. Maybe garnish with whole raspberries?
Did you know you can thin peanut butter to a sauce-like consistency with warm water to add to a chocolate variation? The options are endless!
Think outside that cardboard box and consider cookies’ n’ cream, moose tracks, and even the ever-popular salted caramel. Use your imagination, and you’ll think up dozens of options to keep your taste buds on their toes.
Let’s not forget the visual appeal! These treats are like edible works of layered art, delightful eye candy before they ever hit our eager lips. Picture this: a slice of frozen deliciousness bedazzled with interesting sprinkles, drizzled with luscious sauces, and garnished with crushed candies. Instaworthy, I think!
You will need two boxes of ice cream sandwiches to make two layers in a nine-inch by thirteen-inch pan. It will take twenty-one, so you’ll have a few to eat plain. Two rows of four lengthwise, then put one and one half on the end of the pan. It’s a great fit.
Next, drizzle on about a cup of hot fudge topping warmed up just enough to make it pourable. I made my own delicious hot fudge because I didn't want to run to the store, and I included the recipe here.
You can totally crack open a jar of Smucker’s instead! I got carried away and added some brickle bits because you can never have too many!
Now add a half cup or so of caramel sauce. I made homemade caramel ice cream topping, too. It's so easy and a real money saver!
I will stop here and mention that you can also use bottled ice cream topping, and yes, even a store brand. This dessert is served frozen, so don’t let that stop you from making your easy ice cream cake until you have the “right” fancy sauces! It's not necessary!
End with whipped topping and garnishes of your choice, and then freeze the easy ice cream cake for four hours or overnight before cutting it. I ended up using one and one-half tubs of whipped topping to make this dessert, but I admit I did get heavy-handed.
There is something undeniably nostalgic about ice cream sandwich desserts. They take us back to those carefree summer days of our childhood when the familiar bell of an ice cream truck would Pied Piper us into the street. What a highlight that was on a hot summer evening!
This frozen dessert is a hot trend, so be the coolest kid on the block and serve one of these easy ice cakes at the next get-together! They are so easy to put together and stash in your freezer for the perfect moment!
Here's an easy dessert you can vary in as many ways as you like, using ice cream sandwiches, sauces, garnishes, and whipped topping.
Whether you are having a pool party, a birthday bash, or a casual backyard BBQ, this easy ice cream cake will be the life of the party!! One nine-by-thirteen-inch pan can easily be cut into sixteen to twenty servings because it is as sweet and rich as your Aunt Pearl!
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Love, GB (Betty Streff)
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