My kids are crazy for ice cream cakes, but they run $25-40 a pop and they are not dye free.  So, I made my own.

I’ve used two techniques – one called for sandwiching  ice cream between two cake layers, and one was a simple cake/ice cream/frosting layered construction.

The two cake layers is definitely easier to frost.

I used simple whipped cream for the frosting.  These cakes are frozen and many other icings simply get too hard.  And it is not graceful to be hacking away at a rocky, sugary layer with a knife while party guests look on in horror.

Whipped Cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream

4 Tablespoons sugar

optional: vanilla extract or other flavoring such as orange, coconut, or peppermint.

Put chilled cream into a large bowl.  Use your mixer on high speed to whip the cream.  Sprinkle the sugar over the cream as it whips, and add any flavoring.

Makes enough to cover a 9×13″ cake.  If your cake is dark/chocolate, you may need a little more.  The ratio is 1 c. cream, 2 Tablespoons sugar.

Whipped cream is so easy my 7 year old has made it.  Oh yes, I teach them about important culinary skills as soon as I can.  First, eggs so they can make me breakfast, then whipped cream.  I don’t need a reason for the whipped cream, do I?

Mr S wanted a Lego cake for his birthday, and he wanted white cake with strawberry ice cream.   Do this a day ahead of time, in case you need to refreeze the cake while frosting.  Please heed my words; if you can’t be the good example, be the horrible warning.  My ice cream started to melt while I was frosting but I didn’t have time to refreeze, so it came out messy, not smooth at all, and looked like a Lego that had been experimented on in the microwave.

Still tasted good, though.

Instructions:

1.  Bake your cake of choice in a 9×13″ pan, let cool, then turn out onto a cake board (or, in case, a cookie sheet covered with foil).  Place in freezer.  Optional: For a large cake, make two cake layers.  Stack the second layer on top of the ice cream, like an ice cream sandwich.  You’ll end up with tall, skinny slices and can easily serve 20-30 with it.

2.  Wash the cake pan.  Line with waxed paper.

3.  Soften 2 quarts of ice cream on the counter.  Leave the lid on the carton so you don’t turn around find the baby trying to gobble it up with her bare hands.  Using a spatula or large spoon, fill the lined cake pan with the ice cream and smooth it so it’s flat.  Place in freezer for several hours to freeze hard.

Assemble the cake:

4.  Remove cake and ice cream from the freezer.  Carefully invert pan of ice cream over the cake.  Gently tug the waxed paper if the ice cream won’t come out.  Make sure ice cream is centered on cake.  Remove the waxed paper, because your family is still talking about the Great Giblet Incident and you can’t live down serving paper wrapped foods twice in one year.  Place back in freezer  while you make the whipped cream.

5.  Make whipped cream (see above recipe).  Or make one of the minions do it, but remember, then you’ll have to let them lick the beater, too and that leaves you out cold.

6.  Frost the cake, refreezing if necessary.  Whipped cream will keep beautifully for a few hours in the fridge if you make it ahead of time, but if it separates just whip it together again.  Whip it.  Whip it good.

For the Lego part of the cake, cupcakes were the wrong size so I used giant marshmallows.  Marshmallows have food colroing in them, but they are easy to pick out.  Also, you only need 8 marshmallows which leaves you, the cook, with the rest of the bag to dispose of at your leisure.  Ah, the perks of cooking!

Yes.  It’s lumpy and bumpy, please see above warning about not waiting until an hour before the party.

Doing it myself and saving $20? Works for Me!

Linking up:

Tagged as: dye free