Discover how to make homemade ice cream cakes with layers of cake and creamy ice cream. Includes step-by-step recipe, cake pops variation, tips, and alternative diet options.
Ice cream cakes combine two of life’s sweetest pleasures: cake and ice cream. They’re creamy, indulgent, and endlessly customisable — perfect for birthdays, celebrations, or simply treating yourself.
Whether you love classic flavours like chocolate and vanilla or fancy experimenting with bold combinations, learning how to make your own ice cream cake opens up a world of delicious possibilities. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything from layering techniques to recipes and variations you can try at home.
In This Article, You’ll Find:
✅ What makes ice cream cakes so special — and how the layers come together.
✅ Our step-by-step recipe for a classic homemade ice cream cake.
✅ How to make fun, bite-sized ice cream cake pops.
✅ Dairy-free & vegan swaps for alternative diets.
✅ Nutritional breakdown & tips for portion control.
✅ Related recipes — from birthday cakes to Dahl-licious treats.
👉🏽 Whether you’re planning a birthday, a family gathering, or just a fun weekend dessert, this guide gives you everything you need to master ice cream cakes at home.
If you’d like to go straight to the recipes we’ve shared, please click on the following links;
🍰 Layers of Deliciousness
Ice cream cakes are built on one simple idea: alternating layers of cake and ice cream. But within that idea lies endless creativity.
- Classic pairings: Chocolate + vanilla, strawberry + sponge.
- Creative twists: Mint choc chip, cookies & cream, or fruit compotes.
- Textures & toppings: Add fudge, caramel, ganache, or whipped cream for extra richness.
- Visual appeal: Finish with sprinkles, nuts, or fresh fruit to make it party-ready.
The result? A dessert that’s as stunning on the table as it is satisfying to eat.
🥄 Bringing Your Ice Cream Cake Together
Creating an ice cream cake is a fun and exciting process that involves preparing and layering different elements to achieve a deliciously textural and indulgent dessert.
Here’s the process:
- Choose flavours: Pick your cake, ice cream, and mix-ins.
- Prep separately: Bake and cool your cakes; soften ice cream just enough to spread.
- Layer carefully: Alternate cake and ice cream layers, using cling film for easy handling.
- Chill in between: Let each layer firm up before adding the next.
- Final freeze: Once assembled, freeze for 2–3 hours so flavours set beautifully.
With patience and creativity, you’ll have a show-stopping dessert ready to impress.
So now we’ve explained the process, ready to get started?
Homemade Ice Cream Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Cake Layers
- 250 g self-raising flour
- 250 g caster sugar
- 250 g unsalted butter, softened
- 4 medium eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Ice Cream Layers
- 1.5 litres ice cream (choose 2–3 flavours)
- Optional: chocolate chips, fruit, or cookie crumbs
Topping
- 200 ml double cream
- 100 g dark chocolate, chopped
- Decorations: sprinkles, nuts, or biscuit crumbs
Method
- Bake cakes – Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease two 20 cm tins. Cream butter + sugar, beat in eggs, add vanilla, fold in flour. Divide batter, bake 25–30 mins. Cool completely.
- Freeze ice cream layers – Line tins with cling film. Spread softened ice cream into each tin, add mix-ins if using. Freeze 1 hr.
- Assemble – Layer cake and ice cream, alternating. Stack carefully. Freeze 2–3 hrs until firm.
- Make ganache – Heat cream, pour over chocolate, stir until smooth.
- Finish & serve – Remove cling film, pour ganache over cake, decorate, slice, and serve straight from the freezer.
👉🏽 Result: A creamy, layered cake that’s both stunning and indulgent.
Nutritional Values (per slice)
- Calories: 340 kcal | Carbohydrates: 38 g | Protein: 5 g | Fat: 18 g | Fibre: 1 g | Sugars: 26 g
Enjoy your homemade ice cream cake, perfect for any occasion or celebration!
Storage & Shelf Life
- Freeze assembled cake: Up to 1 month (wrap well in cling film).
- Cake pops: Store in airtight container in freezer, up to 3 weeks.
- Serving tip: Allow 5 mins at room temp before slicing for smoother cuts.
Take Your Ice Cream Cake to the Next Level with Cake Pops?
If you’d like to take your ice cream cake one step further — or serve it in a playful, party-friendly way — why not turn it into Ice Cream Cake Pops?
These bite-sized delights are perfect for kids, celebrations, or anytime you want a fun twist on the classic.
Homemade Ice Cream Cake Pops
If you want to add a bit of fun to your Homemade Ice Cream Cake, you can try out these Ice Cream Cake Pops. Fun, bite-sized Ice Cream Cake Pops. Perfect for kid’s parties or perfect for just about any occasion!
Simple to make and always great fun to involve the little ones with making and eating these too.
Here’s our step-by-step guide:
Ingredients
- 1 batch cake (crumbled)
- Scoops of softened ice cream
- 340 g chocolate coating/melting wafers
- Cake pop sticks
- Sprinkles/toppings (optional)
Method
- Crumble cake finely. Mix with softened ice cream.
- Roll into small balls, place on lined tray, insert sticks. Freeze 1 hr.
- Melt chocolate coating. Dip each pop, let excess drip off.
- Add sprinkles/toppings before chocolate sets.
- Freeze 15–20 mins until firm. Serve chilled.
Nutritional Values – Ice Cream Cake Pops (per pop, approx.)
- Calories: 220 kcal | Carbohydrates: 28 g | Protein: 3 g | Fat: 11 g | Fibre: 1 g | Sugar: 18 g
Feel free to get creative with different cake and ice cream flavours, as well as various toppings, to customise your ice cream cake pops to your liking.
Dairy-Free & Vegan Variations
With all our recipes and frozen treats, as they’re homemade, they can be easily adapted to suit your needs, and that includes catering for alternative diets.
- Dairy-free: Use plant-based butter in the cake and almond, soy, or oat ice cream for layers.
- Vegan: Swap eggs with flaxseed “eggs” (1 tbsp flax + 3 tbsp water per egg).
- Toppings: Coconut whipped cream and vegan chocolate ganache make stunning finishes.
These simple swaps keep the indulgence but make the treat inclusive for everyone.
🔗 Related Reads
Looking for more cake-inspired frozen treats? Try these:
- Homemade Ice Cream Cakes for That Special Occasion – Inspiration for show-stopping party cakes.
- Dahl-licious Frozen Treats – Whimsical recipes inspired by Roald Dahl, including upside-down ice cream cakes.
- Homemade Birthday Cake Ice Cream – A fun twist that brings the party into your scoop.
- Black Forest Ice Cream Cake – A decadent classic layered with cherries, chocolate, and cream.
🍰 Your Turn to Create!
We’d love to see your homemade ice cream cakes and cake pops. Do you have a favourite flavour combination or decorating trick? Share your creations in the comments — or better yet, snap a picture and tag us on social media.
💬 What’s your dream ice cream cake flavour? Tell us below!
The Final Scoop
Ice cream cakes bring celebration to the table — creamy, colourful, and fun to make. With simple layering techniques, creative toppings, and even dairy-free or vegan swaps, there’s a version for everyone to enjoy.
From a full-sized showpiece to playful cake pops, these frozen desserts prove that cake and ice cream really are better together.
We hope that you have enjoyed our article – Learn How to Make Homemade Ice Cream Cakes – and that we’ve inspired you to try one of these recipes at home. Whether you go for the layered cake or the fun cake pops, both are sure to impress and delight.
If you have any questions, please drop us a comment below, and we’ll be happy to get back to you.
Stay connected for more homemade ice cream inspiration! Share your own ice cream creations with us on social media, and join our community of frozen dessert lovers. You’ll find mouthwatering recipes, expert tips, and exclusive updates.
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I have always wanted to know how they make those amazing ice cream cakes. I am not much of a baker, but I sure have always wanted to try this.
I am rather impatient so sometimes it is hard for me to wait until things are properly ready to be assembled! Sometimes it is even difficult to wait for the cake to bake! I do sit and read while I wait and that tends to make the time go somewhat faster.
I had not thought of the cling wrap to separate the layers of ice cream and cake. Once frozen, does the ice cream easily come off? I am a klutz in the kitchen and can burn water, so I just want to know if there is scraping or anything to get the ice cream layers between the cake layers.
The instructions are pretty clear. I think I could even make one of these. I want to surprise my granddaughter with one just for fun.
Thanks for this recipe! I’ll let you know if it worked!
Karin
Hey Karin,
Thanks for your comment, glad you appreciated our article.
I understand what you mean about having the patience to see some baking projects through, some can be quite lengthy, but I hope that our step-by-step guides for both the ice cream cake and the ice cream cake pops are detailed enough to enable you to give these recipes a go.
We have a lots of other articles that provide help and guidance on making ice cream that you could also have a look at if you get stuck – How to make Delicious, Indulgent, Homemade Ice Cream – Frosted Fusions – This article gives you lots of hints, tips, and ideas on achieving that perfect homemade ice cream.
You can burn water? Ha, that made me giggle, that’s pretty good going! You’ll be very pleased to know the cling film pulls off the ice cream very easily once it’s frozen, so no great technical skills required for that.
Do shout out if there’s anything you are unsure of.
Thanks again for dropping by.
All the best
Cherie :o)
Thank you for sharing this delectable article filled with tempting recipes!
I’ve been eager to explore new baking ideas, and this collection of recipes has sparked my interest. It might just become my next passion project for creating delightful treats for my family.
As I often need to transport cakes to various events, particularly intrigued by the ice cream cake recipe. Do you have any recommendations for a carrier that could help keep these cakes cool until I reach my destination?
Hey Heather,
Thanks for your comment and positive words, really glad you appreciated our article on Homemade Ice Cream Cakes and Ice Cream Cake Pops.
Once you start with these, there really are no limits to what you can create, so I’m sure you’ll have fun.
Hmm, I would recommend polystyrene boxes, or food-safe bags – the ones you see food delivery companies using? This is how I transport my ice cream around.
Our article – What Equipment Do You Need to Make Homemade Ice Cream? – Frosted Fusions – provides some handy links for all the items, and equipment you might need to make ice cream and for transporting all your delicious treats too.
Thanks again for your comment and question and wishing you all the best with your ice cream cake projects.
Cheers
Cherie :o)
Can you make this a 2 tier cake?
Hi Isis,
Thanks so much for your comment—and yes, you can absolutely make a two-tier ice cream cake! Even 3-tier, 4-tier, there’s no limits.
The key is to ensure each layer is well-frozen and stable before stacking the next layer. We recommend freezing each tier separately until very firm (ideally overnight), then carefully assembling them with a chilled cake board in between for support. You can also use dowels or straws in the bottom tier to help hold the top one in place—just like with traditional tiered cakes.
Once stacked, give the entire cake a final freeze before decorating. It’s a bit of a project, but the result is a real showstopper!
Let us know if you give it a go—we’d love to see your creation!
All the best,
Cherie