Nothing screams decadent AND relaxed summer like an ice cream cake. They don’t require the oven and can be made several days in advance, and always look like a party. You should make this cake is because it’s cherry season! And cherries, chocolate and vanilla are a glorious combination. If ice cream cakes are beyond your peripheral vision, just things you glace past in pink boxes at the grocery store, then you might want to turn your head. This ice cream cake is a ch-ch-ch cherry bomb.
Notes
Note about Cookie Crumb Crust
You can absolutely make your own cookie crumb for the bottom of this cake, and I encourage you to do so, using this recipe here. But, you can also use store bought chocolate graham crackers. I really like to make smaller ice cream cakes in 7” spring form pan. (That’s the size I use for basque cheese cakes too), but you could absolutely make it in an 8 or 9 inch pan.
Note about Hard Shell
I used grocery store hard shell for this. If you want to make your own, combine 1/3 cup extra virgin coconut oil with 1 cup of your favorite semi-sweet chocolate chips. Heat in a double boiler or in short 15-20 second bursts in the microwave (stirring between each burst) until chocolate and coconut oil are melted. Then stir to combine. Allow to come to room temperature before using. Store any extra in an airtight container away from direct sunlight.
Key Ingredients
Chocolate Cookie Crumbs or Chocolate Graham Cracker Crumbs
cherry ice cream
fresh cherries
vanilla ice cream
chocolate hard shell
whipping cream
marshmallow fluff
Cherry Bomb Ice Cream Cake – Recipe
Serves 8-10. Takes about an hour with time to chill in between and 5 hours to chill after assembly. Special equipment: 7” or 8” spring form pan. Find my cookie crumb recipe here.
Ingredients
For Ice Cream Cake
- Neutral oil or cooking spray for greasing the bottom of the pan
- 4 ounces of chocolate cookie or chocolate graham crackers (a scant cup)
- 2 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar (reduce to 1 tablespoon if using store-bought graham crackers)
- 1 quart vanilla ice cream
- 1 quart cherry ice cream
- 1/3 cup hard shell (6 ounces) *for homemade see “Note about Hard shell”
For Frosting
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2-3 tablespoons marshmallow fluff
Step One
Lightly coat the bottom of 7 or 8 inch springform pan with cooking spray or neutral oil. (I use a 7” pan) Set aside.
Step Two
Using a food processor or the bottom of a mug, crush or process 4 ounces of cookie crumbs until they are like coarse sand (you’ll have a cup of crumbs). Add melted butter and sugar and stir or pulse to combine. Pour crumb crust into the bottom of a greased springform pan and (using a piece of wax paper or butter wrapper) press them flat and even across the bottom of the pan. (if using a 7” pan you will have a little extra).
Step Three
Set pan with crust into the freezer for 5-10 minutes. While crust hardens, set the vanilla ice out to soften.
Step Four
Once the vanilla ice cream is soft enough to scoop and spread, remove the spring form pan from the freezer and scoop about 4-5 scoops of ice cream into the pan. Using a hard spatula carefully spread ice cream evenly across the cookie crumb in about a 1.5 inch layer, then put the pan and the vanilla ice cream back in the freezer for about 15-20 minutes. Put the vanilla ice cream back in the freezer.
Step Five
While the ice cream hardens, smash about 15 cherries on a plate using a flat surface to smoosh them and pick out the pits and set aside.
Step Six
Remove the spring form cake with the vanilla ice cream from the freezer. Spread enough hard-shell chocolate over the vanilla ice cream cake to completely cover it. Add smashed cherries and any juices on top of the hard shell. Set cake back into the freezer for about 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, remove the cherry ice cream from the freezer so that it can begin to soften for 10 minutes while the ice cream cake continues to harden in the freezer.
Step Seven
Once the cherry ice cream is soft enough to work with, remove cake from freezer and scoop about 5-6 scoops of ice cream into the pan so that you can spread about a 2 inch layer of cherry ice cream. You want the ice cream to come just above top of the spring form pan. Set the cake back in the freezer and allow to freeze for at least 4 hours.
Step Eight
When you’re almost ready to frost the ice cream cake, use a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip 1 cup of whipping cream on medium-high until it thickens noticeably but does not yet form soft peaks. Then, add the fluff and fold it in until it’s fully incorporated. Once incorporated, return to whipping the cream on medium high until it forms stiff peaks.
Step Nine
Remove ice cream cake from the freezer and frost with the whipped cream-fluff frosting. Return cake to freezer to set for another 2 hours. After 2 hours you can gently cover the cake with plastic wrap and leave it in the freezer until you’re ready to serve it.
To serve, use a knife warmed in hot water to slice. Garnish with more fresh cherries and/or more hard shell to serve.