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vegan ice cream cake on a plate

BEST Ever Vegan Ice Cream Cake (Gluten Free!)

  • Author: thebananadiaries
  • Prep Time: 180
  • Cook Time: 25
  • Total Time: 3 hours 25 minutes
  • Yield: 18 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Baking
  • Cuisine: American
  • Diet: Vegan

Description

This is THE vegan ice cream cake recipe to make for the summer! Super fun and easy to make, this homemade ice cream cake is like no other cake: layered with fudgy rich chocolate cake, creamy dairy free ice cream, and decorated with decadent dairy free buttercream and ganache, this is the ultimate ice cream cake for any summer birthday or party!

Ingredients

Scale

Vegan Ice Cream Cake Decorations:

  • 1 batch vegan chocolate buttercream or vegan vanilla buttercream
  • Vegan sugar cones
  • Vegan sprinkles
  • Vegan ganache

Instructions

  1. I recommend making this cake across two days. Day One is making the cake and setting the ice cream in the casserole dish, Day Two is assembling the cake. Please see note for why I recommend this.
  2. Be sure to read all instructions before beginning. Measure out all ingredients for the cake. Take out the ice cream to soften at room temperature while you’re baking the cake. Prep two 8″ cake pans with parchment paper and grease the sides.
  3. Day one: Make the chocolate cake batter: Follow the instructions for making the vegan chocolate cake, using the gluten free option as needed. 
  4. Bake the cakes: pour the batter into the two cake pans evenly. Place the cakes into the oven and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow them to cool in their pans for 10 minutes. Then carefully transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely, about 45 minutes. Then cover the layers with plastic wrap and let sit overnight at room temperature.
  5. Day two: assemble the ice cream cake: In the morning, take the ice cream out to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes or until soft. While the ice cream is softening, line an 8″ springform pan with plastic wrap. 
  6. Make the ice cream layer: Spoon the ice cream into the springform pan, and smooth the ice cream to the edges. Then freeze the ice cream again for 3-4 hours, or until completely hardened again.
  7. While the ice cream is chilling: Prepare the vegan Oreo cookies through the baking step. Once cooled, you can crush the cookies to become a cookie crumb. If there’s any warm to the cookies, place them covered and in the freezer to chill until ready to assemble the cake.
  8. Assemble the cake: When your ice cream is ready, you can begin to assemble the cake. Place the first cake layer down, then sprinkle about half of the cookie mixture on top. Carefully remove an ice cream layer by using a spatula to transfer the ice cream on top of the cake layer. Sprinkle more crushed cookie on top of the ice cream layer, then place the second cake layer on top of the ice cream. Cover the cake in tin foil or plastic wrap very tightly, being sure there are no air pockets, and place the cake into the freezer to chill for 1 hour.
  9. While the cake is setting, prepare the buttercream: you can prepare the frosting towards the latter half of the ice cream cake setting time. Prepare your desired vegan frosting according to the instructions in the post. 
  10. Assemble the cake: when your ice cream cake is set, frost the ice cream cake as you would a regular cake. Please do so quickly, though, as you don’t want the ice cream to soften. Then chill the frosted cake in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  11. Decorate: Decorate the cake with ice cream cones, piped buttercream, vegan ganache, and vegan sprinkles. Then store in the freezer until ready to serve. 
  12. Storage: It is safe to store the cake in the freezer whole until ready to serve. After 20 minutes in the freezer fully decorated, you can carefully wrap the outside of the cake with plastic wrap and keep it in the freezer for up to 7 days. When preparing to serve, transfer the ice cream cake to the fridge to allow the cake to temper for 1 hour before serving. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

Making this ice cream cake: I recommend making this cake over two days, as kitchens will tend to overheat when you’re baking a cake. This will make it very difficult to make an ice cream cake, as the ice cream will quickly melt and you’ll risk losing any ice cream layers. Spreading this baking process across two days will ensure that you’re not rushed for time and that your ice cream won’t melt!

Gluten free: you can easily make this ice cream cake gluten free by swapping in gluten-free 1:1 baking flour for the cake and using gluten-free ice cream cones, such as the ones by Edward & Sons.

Nut-free: to make this cake nut-free, please ensure that all dairy-free products you’re using are nut-free (so coconut or oat based!). 

Please read the blog post for all tips and tricks on making the best vegan ice cream cake!

Keywords: vegan ice cream cake, ice cream cake, homemade ice cream cake, dairy free ice cream cake, how to make an ice cream cake

Find it online: https://thebananadiaries.com/best-ever-vegan-ice-cream-cake/