What do you do when your wide eyed 6 year old asks you for an ice cream cake and is totally allergic to milk? You make this easy and fabulous cake!
This super easy cake takes about 20 minutes to make plus freezer time. It can be made ahead of time…like days ahead of time, or in the morning to be ready by afternoon. Not only is it authentic, but it’s actually fun to make, for kids and adults. This recipe is pretty standard “ice cream store” style ice cream cake, but you can personalize it any way you like. And the best part? Saying, “YES, you can have it!” to your favorite dairy-free people.
It’s also vegan and cholesterol free. If you use gluten-free ingredients it can be gluten-free too!
YOU WILL NEED:
4 Quarts of Store Bought Vanilla Soy Ice Cream or Rice Milk Ice Cream
(we like Trader Joes Soy Creamy in Vanilla)
OR
2 Quarts of Store Bought Vanilla Soy Ice Cream or Rice Milk Ice Cream
and
2 Quarts of another flavor of Store Bought Soy Ice Cream or Rice Milk Ice Cream
2 boxes of Oreos or any flavor milk-free sandwich cookies
2 cans of Rice Whip dairy-free whipped cream
2 Tsp granulated sugar
PLUS:
Wax Paper
Casserole Dish
2 large zippered plastic baggies
mixing bowl
rubber mallet or similar
DIRECTIONS:
Pick a Shape
1) Decide on the shape that you’d like for your cake. A large rectangular or oval casserole dish 9 x 12 makes a great sized cake. (See photo.)
Soften Ice Cream
2) Allow the ice cream to soften on the counter while you prepare the dish and the cookie crumb filling.
– If the ice cream is very hard, then pop it in the microwave for 10 to 20 seconds to soften. Soy ice cream does not melt quite the same as cows milk ice cream, so it will hold it’s shape longer.
Line Dish with Wax Paper
3) Line the bottom of the casserole dish with the wax paper. This will allow you to more easily remove the cake onto a platter once it is completely frozen.
Prepare Cookie Filling
4) Pull apart your sandwich cookies. Only one side of the cookie will be still have the frosting stuck to it.
– Take the cookies with the frosting stuck and put them into a large zippered baggie.
– Take the cookies without the frosting and put them into a separate zippered baggie.
– Now this is the fun part. Take a rubber mallot or meat tenderizer covered with a dish towel, or some large heavy object, like a book and pound and crush both bags of cookies. One will by crumbly, one will be crumbly and gooey.
Spoon In First Ice Cream Layer
5) Next, take a large metal spoon and gently scoop the first 2 quarts of ice cream into the bottom of the casserole dish.
– Once all of the ice cream for that layer is in, then take a rubber scraper and gently smooth out the top.
Add Cookie Crumbs
6) Take the crumbled cookies without the frosting and sprinkle on top of the first layer of ice cream.
Spoon in Second Ice Cream Layer
7) Next, gently scoop the second layer of ice cream onto the layer of cookie crumbs.
– Use the second 2 quarts of ice cream for this layer. Be careful to put on a thick layer of ice cream on top of the crumbs before you smooth with the scraper. Otherwise the crumbs will get mixed in.
– Once all of the ice cream for that layer is in, then take a rubber scraper and gently smooth out the top.
Add Gooey Cookie Crumbs
8) Take the crumbled gooey cookie crumbs with the frosting and sprinkle on top of the second layer.
– Gently use a metal spoon to press those crumbs into the second layer so it is slightly even on top.
Freeze
9) Cover with plastic wrap and place in Refrigerator for about 2 hours or until it is really frozen.
Flip Your Cake
10) Once your cake is very hard and frozen, you are going to flip it “upright” onto a platter.
– You can ease it out of the casserole dish by taking a butter knife around the edge of the cake to loosen it from the sides. You can also gently pry it up around the edges with the knife.
– Place the platter on top of the casserole and flip them both over so that the cake is now on the platter.
– Peel off and discard the wax paper.
Frost Your Cake
11) You can now frost your cake with the dairy-free whipped cream. **See note below.
– Empty the whipped cream into a mixing bowl.
– Add 2 tsp granulated sugar and mix.
– Frost as you would any cake using a frosting knife or spreader.
– Then take the other can of whipped cream and “pipe” the whipped cream around the edges. Be creative. You can also use gel icing to write names, add sugar flowers, sprinkles, etc…
Freeze Again
12) Put the decorated cake back into the freezer for another hour or so until the whipped cream layer is frozen.
Serve
13) That’s it. You’re done. And you won’t believe the rave reviews you’ll get from everyone! You’ll hear things like, “You really made this yourself?” and, “I can’t believe this is dairy-free!”
**A Note About Dairy-Free Whipped Cream:
You can really use any frosting, but for that authentic ice cream shop cake, you need the whipped cream. Dairy-free whipped cream like Soyatoo Rice-Whip is our favorite. The soy whipped creams have a very strong flavor which can overpower your cake. Rice whip needs to be upside down on the counter for 15 minutes or it wont come out of the can right. So take it out 15 minutes before you take the cake out of the freezer.
