The Easiest Ice Cream Cake Ever

Ice cream cakes can be difficult to make, but we have found a secret trick. So, next time you try making one, skip the ice cream and cookies and use ice cream sandwiches and you will see how easy it can be to make an ice cream cake!

Yield: 12-14 servings

Ingredients:

• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2/3 cup prepared chocolate syrup
• 1 teaspoon peppermint extract
• 16 (4-ounce) ice cream sandwiches, divided
• 1 cup finely chopped mint-and-fudge cookies, such as Keebler Grasshopper cookies (about 10 cookies), divided

Directions:

1. Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat cream in a large bowl until medium-stiff peaks form. Gently fold in chocolate syrup and peppermint extract. Transfer half of the cream mixture to a medium bowl; cover and chill until ready to use.
2. Spread a thin layer of remaining cream mixture on bottom of a platter. Top with 4 ice cream sandwiches, placing 3 side by side and 1 along bottom of row for a square-shaped base, or 4 side by side for a rectangular-shaped base. Top with a thin layer of cream mixture and sprinkle with 1/4 cup cookies. Continue layering sandwiches, cream, and cookies, ending with a layer of cream, until all sandwiches are used (you should have 4 layers; reserve remaining 1/4 cup cookies). Wipe any excess cream off platter, then freeze until set, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
3. Using a spatula, frost top and sides of cake with reserved cream mixture. Sprinkle reserved 1/4 cup cookies over cake. Freeze again 30 minutes, then slice and serve.

Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks

Believe it or not, I made my very first icebox cake this summer. This retro ice cream cake is made by assembling layers of cookies and cream and letting it set up in the fridge (hence the name). The icebox cake dates back to World War II, when using pre-made ingredients began to rise in popularity, and it has remained a widespread favorite for many reasons, among them the fact that it’s: 1) super easy, 2) stunningly delicious, and 3) doesn’t involve turning on the oven.

Personally, I love how simple icebox cake is to make. But I also love how the cookies and cream mix together in the rich, cream-soaked way of cookies-and-cream ice cream and dirt cake. So when I stumbled on what seemed to be an even better version of icebox cake—using ice cream sandwiches—I had to make it.

My first version—following the basic cream-plus-cookies template—was simple, but after tasting it, the chilled vanilla ice cream and plain whipped cream begged for more. So chocolate sauce went into the whipped cream, along with peppermint extract to give it a minty touch. Mint fudge cookies are crumbled in between the layers to add crunch and boost that minty-chocolate flavor. It’s like a peppermint patty in ice cream cake form, and it’s downright delicious.

Read full article here.