This ice cream cake couldn’t be easier, and is so adaptable! Layers of creamy ice cream are piled on a buttery, sugar cone crust.

What started as an attempt to make a festive, red, white and blue ice cream cake for the upcoming American 4th of July holiday, didn’t exactly work out as planned.

Sure, this layered ice cream cake is awfully delicious (I mean, how can you go wrong with layers of ice cream, right?), but believe it or not, it’s kind of hard to find vibrant red and blue ice cream at my neighborhood grocery store. I wasn’t too keen on pouring vats of food coloring into homemade ice cream – or even making homemade ice cream, for that matter; slacker honesty at its finest.

A slice of ice cream cake topped with chocolate syrup on a white plate with one bite of it on a fork next to it.

So, instead of a 4th of July show-stopper cake, I ended up with more of a humble, less in-your-face ice cream cake. Thanks to the colors, it might be more suited to…Easter? President’s Day? I’m not sure.

We didn’t analyze potential holiday options since we ended up devouring it for Sunday night dessert.

Despite the slight coloring snafu, the main reason I’m obligated to post this delicious recipe is because:

Buttery Sugar Cone Crust.

Yep. It’s as good as it sounds. I crushed up ice cream cones (the sugar cone variety), buttered ’em up and used the mixture as the base of this cake. It’s probably the second best decision I’ve made all month.

A slice of layered ice cream cake with a sugar cone crust on a white plate.

The best decision is smothering my piece of ice cream cake in hot fudge sauce.

As I mention in the notes below, the ice cream options are endless here. You better believe the next variety I make will be some kind of all-chocolate version.

Maybe cookie dough ice cream, moose tracks and chocolate fudge? Oh, yes.

The only difficult part of this cake is waiting for each layer to freeze. And even then, if you want me to send you a to-do list of things to fill your time whilst waiting, please let me know. My kids will tell you I’m very good at delegating to-do lists to anyone who makes eye contact for too long.

For anyone who struggles to make a decision about what kind of ice cream to dish up in their bowl, this cake is for you.

And as I’m thinking about it, that sugar cone crust mixture would be divine sprinkled over a bowl of ice cream. Now that’s an idea worth pondering.

A slice of ice cream cake with a bite taken out on a white plate.

One Year Ago: Roasted Potato Salad with Simple Dijon Dressing and Bacon
Two Years Ago: 4th of July Menus! {THREE Fabulous Menus with Make-Ahead Instructions}
Three Years Ago: The Great Cookie Experiment: Butter Temperature

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Ice Cream Cake with Sugar Cone Crust

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 2 hrs 50 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 50 mins
4.86 stars (7 ratings)
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Ingredients

Sugar Cone Crust:

  • 12 sugar cones, finely crushed (about 113 grams, 1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 6 tablespoons (85 g) salted butter, melted

Ice Cream Layers:

  • 1 quart blueberry ice cream, softened until spreadable
  • 1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened until spreadable
  • 1 quart strawberry ice cream, softened until spreadable
  • [Hot fudge sauce], or other dessert sauces, for serving (optional)

Instructions 

  • In a medium bowl, stir together the crushed sugar cones, sugar and butter until evenly mixed. Press the mixture evenly on the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan (if using a 9-inch pan, make sure the sides are at least three inches high). Freeze for at least 20 minutes.
  • Stir the blueberry ice cream until smooth (so that all the soft/melty areas are incorporated). Spread evenly over the chilled crust. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
  • Do the same with the vanilla ice cream and spread evenly over the blueberry ice cream layer; freeze until firm.
  • Finish with the strawberry ice cream – stirring to combine and then spreading evenly over the vanilla ice cream. Freeze for at least an hour before covering the top with plastic wrap, otherwise it will stick and make a mess of the top of the cake. You can also serve at this point.
  • Well-covered, the cake can be frozen for 1-2 weeks.
  • Before serving, remove the cake from the freezer and let it sit at room temp for 10-15 minutes before unmolding the sides of the pan. For easier, clean slices, run a long, thin knife under hot water and wipe clean before each slice.
  • Serve the cake slices with hot fudge sauce, if desired (or any other toppings worthy of an ice cream cake!).

Notes

Ice Cream Flavors: it totally goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway), but this cake is highly adaptable to different ice cream flavors so let your imagination (and grocery store options) go crazy.
Plan Ahead: this recipe is shockingly easy – but you WILL need to plan time for each layer to harden in the freezer before adding the next layer.
Baking Pans: If you don’t have a springform pan, you could probably make this in a casserole-type dish (like a 9X13-inch maybe?) or in a cake pan. Just make sure the sides of the cake pan (if using a 9-inch) are at least 3-inches high so you can fit in all the luscious ice cream.
Serving: 1 Serving, Calories: 537kcal, Carbohydrates: 66g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Cholesterol: 95mg, Sodium: 218mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 18g

Recommended Products

Mixing Bowl
9-inch Springform Pan
Ice Cream Scoop
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Recipe Source: from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

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Easy Homemade Strawberry Frozen Yogurt {No Ice Cream Maker Needed}

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwiches

Fresh Strawberry Gelato {i.e. Italian Ice Cream}

Chocolate-Mint Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches