Strawberry Ice Cream Cake
Strawberry Ice Cream Cake is a semi-homemade cake made with strawberry cake mix, strawberry ice cream, Golden Oreos, and Cool whip! It is beyond delicious and perfect for any strawberry lover!
Emma's 2nd birthday was last week and I wanted to make a cake that really embodied her personality. I kept coming back to strawberry, and I'm so glad I went with it. It is sweet and pink - just like her! This Strawberry Ice Cream Cake is similar to my Funfetti Ice Cream Birthday Cake, just a strawberry version. It utilizes a cake mix, ice cream, and Cool Whip, making it look impressive but it's really pretty simple!
Ingredients in Strawberry Ice Cream Cake
- Strawberry Cake Mix - plus all of the things on the box required to make the cake.
- Strawberry Ice Cream - vanilla would also work.
- Golden Oreos - can also use any golden sandwich cookies or shortbread cookies.
- Cool Whip - I love Cool Whip but not everyone does. You can definitely make homemade whipped topping if you prefer!
- Fresh Strawberries - fresh strawberries garnish the top of the cake to make it super pretty.
How to make Strawberry Ice Cream Cake
While this recipe is very simple, it does require some hands-off time that makes it feel a little tedious. This is because the cake needs to cool completely and the ice cream needs to re-freeze after thawing out to spread it.
Make the cake. To start, prepare the strawberry cake mix according to the package directions using a medium bowl and rubber spatula or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Pour the batter into a greased 9" springform pan and then bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. The top of the cake should be golden and baked through. Now, cool the cake completely, about 2 hours.
Thaw the ice cream slightly. After 90 minutes, take the ice cream out of the freezer to let it thaw so it is softened strawberry ice cream.
Add the ice cream. Once the cake is cooled, remove the sides of the springform pan and cut the cake in half horizontally for two cake layers. Place the sides back on the springform pan. Spread half of the softened ice cream on top of the bottom half of the cake in a thick layer and then top the ice cream with the crushed Golden Oreo crumbs. Spread the remaining half of ice cream on top of the golden Oreos and then place the top half of the cake back on the cake.
Freeze again. Cover with plastic wrap and then freeze for a couple of hours. After it is frozen again, remove the cake from the freezer and take off the side of the pan again. At this point I like to put the cake on whatever serving plate/stand I'm going to serve it on. Since the cake is frozen, it transfers pretty easily.
Frost. Frost the cake with Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream) and then sprinkle with crushed cookies and diced strawberries. At this point, it's ready to serve immediately. If you're not going to serve it right away, be sure to put it back in the freezer until you are ready so it doesn't melt! Once it's completely frozen, be sure to cover it well to prevent freezer burn.
Strawberry Ice Cream Cake Variations
This cake can be made in so many different variations! Obviously this strawberry version is perfect for anyone who loves strawberry. If you can't find strawberry ice cream, use vanilla ice cream. You can also really use any kind of cake mix that you'd like, including chocolate, white, red velvet, and yellow cake mix along with a variety of flavors of ice cream! I'm dreaming of the day I make it with chocolate cake mix and salted caramel ice cream....YUM!
This strawberry ice cream cake truly is the absolute best perfect summer dessert!
Strawberry Ice Cream Cake Tips and Variations
Different ice cream - I love the strawberry flavor in this ice cream cake, but you could also play around with the ice cream layer, if you'd like. Use a different flavor of berry ice cream, vanilla ice cream, or funfetti ice cream! Really, you can use any ice cream flavor that you'd like.
Prep Ahead. Give yourself enough time to make this cake by starting a day or two in advance. There are a couple of steps where you have to freeze the entire cake, so the easiest way to make sure you have enough time is by starting a day or two in advance.
No springform pan? We can still make it work with cake pans! Bake the cakes in two round 9 inch pans, being sure to line them with parchment paper on the bottom of the pan so the cakes are easy to remove. Then proceed with the instructions for layering the ice cream and cakes.
Leftovers. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. There's no way this delicious dessert will last longer than that, anyways!
More strawberry flavor. For even more strawberry flavor, you could add some freeze dried strawberries to the crushed cookies for a delicious strawberry crunch crumble!
This strawberry ice cream cake was perfect for my daughter's birthday and is the absolute perfect dessert for the spring and summer months! This is my go-to cake for summer birthdays! Looking for more strawberry dessert? Strawberry Dump Cake is another favorite!
Like this recipe? Check these out, too!
Strawberry Ice Cream Cake
Equipment
- springform pan
Ingredients
- 1 strawberry cake mix
- 1 pint strawberry ice cream
- 1 cup crushed Golden Oreos
- 8 ounces Cool Whip thawed
- strawberries chopped, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Prepare the cake mix according to package directions.
- Grease a 9" springform pan and pour cake batter into the pan.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. . After 40 minutes, check every couple of minutes. The top will look golden, and you want to make sure the the middle is fully baked. If a toothpick comes out gooey, keep baking.
- Let cool completely, about 2 hours.
- 30 minutes before it's finished cooling and you're ready to assemble the cake, take the ice cream out of the freezer to thaw.
- Place Oreos in food processor and pulse until large crumbs form. You don't want it to be completely crushed like you would with a cookie crust for a pie. They should be large crumbs. You can also do this by placing the Oreos in a large gallon Ziplock bag and roll a rolling pin over it. Set aside.
- Once the cake is cooled, remove the sides of the springform pan from around the cake.
- Cut the cake in half horizontally.
- Leave the bottom layer on the springform pan bottom and return the sides around the cake pan.
- Spread half of the carton of ice cream over the bottom half.
- Top the ice cream with the Oreo crumbs and then spread the remaining ice cream over the Oreo crumbs to make a little Oreo crumb/ice cream sandwich.
- Top with the second half of the cake.
- Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 2 more hours. At this point, make sure the Cool Whip is thawing!
- After 2 hours, take the sides off the springform pan and frost the cake with the Cool Whip.
- Sprinkle additional Oreo crumbs and diced strawberries on top for decoration.
- At this point, you can serve immediately (it IS an ice cream cake so you don't want it to melt!) or return it to the freezer until you're ready to serve it. The frozen cake does transfer well to a cake stand, which is what I did, and then kept it in our deep freezer until I was ready to serve.
- Slice and enjoy!