Ever checked out the prices at an ice cream store for one of their frozen ice cream cakes? Wow! Better stop by the bank first! It’s going to cost you plenty! Even though they’re delicious, they’re simply not worth the extravagant price tag, since you can easily make something comparable for a fraction of the cost.
You won’t have to invest a lot of money to make your ice cream cake. Simply purchase 20 ice cream sandwiches, a tub of whipped cream, and some chocolate or hot fudge sauce. With these items you have the makings of a fabulous ice cream cake that all your guests will love.
Arrange ten of the ice cream sandwiches in the bottom of a 9×13″ baking pan. It’s okay to break or cut the sandwiches in half to make them fit. When the entire bottom is lined with the ice cream sandwiches it’s time to add the chocolate sauce.
Heat the hot fudge sauce, according to jar instructions, for a few seconds. Thirty seconds is usually enough time in most microwaves. You don’t want to overheat the sauce; just heat it until it will easily pour out of the jar. Spread the sauce all over the ice cream sandwiches. Don’t worry if there is some melting of the ice cream. Use half of the jar and save the rest for the second layer.
Add half a tub of whipped cream on top of the chocolate sauce. Spread it around evenly. Now repeat the process by adding another layer of the ice cream sandwiches, the other half jar of chocolate sauce, and the remainder of the whipped topping.
It’s necessary to freeze the ice cream cake for at least three hours before serving. However, if covered, the ice cream cake will remain fresh for several weeks in the freezer. Feel free to make the cake days or weeks before it’s actually needed. As a matter of fact, since the ice cream cakes are so cheap and easy, keep one in the freezer for an unexpected occasion or gift.
There are variations you can create for the ice cream cake. Using strawberry frosting, instead of whipped cream, adding colored sprinkles, or even writing on the whipped topping with tubes of ordinary cake frosting, are all ways you can change the look – and taste – of the ice cream cake.
Want something even more elaborate? Add real cake to the ice cream cake. Just bake a regular cake in a 9×13″ cake pan. After it has cooled cut it in half to create two 9×13″ cakes. To do this, take the cake from the pan and place on a flat surface. Start at one of the short sides of the cake and slice through to the other short side, taking the entire top off the cake. Now the top is one cake and the bottom is a separate cake.
Place the ice cream sandwiches in the bottom of the cake pan as you would with the original arrangement. Set one cake on the sandwiches and pour the melted chocolate sauce over it. Using the cakes with the ice cream sandwiches requires more chocolate sauce than the original arrangement. For this arrangement you’ll need two whole jars of sauce – one for each layer.
After you’ve added the chocolate sauce to the cake, smooth whipped cream over the entire thing. Now create the second layer by placing ten more ice cream sandwiches, on top of the whipped cream, then the cake, sauce and whipped cream again.
If you want you can save a little of the chocolate sauce to drizzle over the top layer of whipped cream. Or, you can tear up pieces of brownies to sprinkle over the cake. You can even sprinkle chocolate morsels on top. There are many different ways to make the cake look different than the time before. That’s good to know, because after your friends and family try the ice cream cake, they’ll be asking you to make another, and another…
