Tasty Tues~Ice Cream Cakes

     Birthdays here mean ice cream cakes!  Everyone in this house is an ice cream addict, except myself.  I am definitely a seasonal eater of the treat. I don't eat much of it in the colder months.  Anyhow, a few years ago the requested cake for my hubby's birthday was an ice cream cake.  I drove the 25 minutes to the closest Dairy Queen and purchased a 25 or so dollar cake.  After seeing the cake myself up close and personal I thought that I would try to make one.  It didn't look that hard at all and I figured that it wouldn't cost that much.  I spend about 16-18 dollars per cake and can personalize with different flavors.  Definitely a bonus!

           What you need:  2 days, 1 pan, mixer, Saran Wrap, jar of fudge, 1 pack of Oreo cookies, 2 half gallons of ice cream, 2 tubs of cool whip icing and what ever toppings you want to add.     

          What do you do:  First of all, you need to decide what size pan you want to use.  I use the bottom of  a Tupperware dish that I have had for ages.  I use a 9 inch round pan that is about 2.5 inches deep.  Keep in mind that the amount of ingredients I used was to fill this pan.


  I purchase 2 half gallon size tubs of a store brand ice cream any flavors.  Make sure that it is not a whipped or churn style.  We found out the hard way that this kind doesn't hold up too well when it melted in my freezer!  I have used Kroger and Meijer brands with success.  I grab a jar of hot fudge sauce and then ask the birthday kiddo (or hubby)  what they want in the center.  We have used peanuts and M &M's however Oreos are the most popular.  Don't forget the topping!  Have you seen Cool Whip Icings?

They make this so much easier!  You can use regular icing (not a favorite on ice cream cakes here), regular Cool Whip or this Cool Whip Icing.  Check your local grocery store for availability and flavors.  I use two of these as well.  I like to put it on a little thicker and then do some kind of trim.
      Finally, you need to decide what kind of topping if you want.  This time I used sprinkles.  In the past I have use crushed candy bars, cookies and nuts.  Really you can do what ever you want at each step.
     So how does this go together?  Take out the first flavor and let it sit on the counter for about 20 minutes. You want the ice cream to soften but not be soupy.  While you are waiting for it to soften take your Saran wrap and lay it in the bottom of your pan and make sure it goes up the sides too.  This will allow for easy removal later.
     Once your ice cream has softened place the entire half gallon in the mixer bowl.  You want to mix it up to make it a creamier consistency to spread it in the pan.  You guess your next step!  Spread it evenly over the Saran wrap in the bottom of the pan.  You need to put this in the freezer to freeze.
      Next take your cookies and crush them.  With the regular size of Oreos I use 2 rows.  Remember, you are going to have to adjust this based on the size of the pan that you are using.  Take your crushed cookies and sprinkle them onto the frozen ice cream.  Next, take your fudge and melt it for about 20 seconds in the microwave and pour over the cookies.  Return this to the freezer and freeze overnight.   
     In the morning, take out your second half gallon of ice cream.  Let it sit out for about 20 minutes again and repeat process as with the first half gallon.  Once spread out return to freezer and let freeze at least 4 hours.
    Now you are ready to "frost and decorate".  Take your cake and set it on the counter for about 10 minutes.  Turn your pan upside down on a plate/platter or whatever you want to serve your cake on.  It should remove fairly easy from the pan.  Then gently remove the Saran wrap.  Your cake isn't going to look very pretty at this point.  Don't worry about the grooves in it, remember you have 2 containers of the icing!  Next you want to ice it just like you would a sponge cake.  If you are feeling creative or know how to actually decorate cakes (not I) you can then either leave it with the Cool Whip spread on it, make a decorative border or whatever.  I tried to pipe a border, as you can tell.  Finally I sprinkled it with Mr Sprinkles!

     This cake was made for Jacob's 16th birthday.  He chose cookies and cream ice cream with cherry cordial as his flavors.  As you can tell from the picture below, the two flavors are not always equally distributed in mine!  They are just as delicious though! Give it a try!