Ice Cream Cake Recipe

In my few short years of domestic bliss, there are few recipes I am "known" for.  I hope to grow this list of known for recipes...so one day my grandchildren might say, "I loved Grandma Ashley's fudge asparagus!"  Or something of that sort.  Though that meant to be a joke...it is quite fitting to my personality...deliciously chocolate...but healthy, of course!  Anyways, I am happy to say that I have actually heard people refer to this recipe as "Ashley's famous ice cream cake" and I am proud to say my husband often speaks very highly of me and this cake in public.  So it must be pretty good.

I cannot take all the credit, it is a Sandra Lee recipe from her Desserts Cookbook.  I have posted this recipe before...years ago...some of you hard core followers might remember this one.  But since I recently made it for my husband's birthday, I thought I would repost it with new beautiful photos.  After seeing Sarah from Clover Lane used Blurb to print her own family cookbook, I have decided to start documenting all my favorite recipes to compile into my own book soon.  This will definitely be in there.  

 

Ingredients:

-Devil's food cake mix

-Ice cream {I buy the big ol' container and use about 2/3 of it...I like a mix of chocolate and vanilla but just vanilla is good too}.  If you use regular size cartons, I usually use 1.5 cartons because I like me a lot of ice cream!

-2 containers of Cool Whip {I always use generic light}

-Heath toffee bits {this is the secret ingredient that sets this apart from other ice cream cakes}

I also recently found on Pinterest a homemade recipe for cake release.  I usually just use cooking spray and it NEVER came out clean.  This baby did.  Worth making a little jar of it for sure.  

-1/2 cup shortening

-1/2 cup vegetable oil

-1/2 cup all purpose flour

-whip together and store in air tight container at room temperature

Clean....yayayayay!  Bake cake to box directions in two circle pans and cut each circle in half so you have four circle layers.  I usually just use a serrated knife.  It is okay if it gets messy or crumbles because you will stick it all in the freezer with the ice cream and it all sticks together.

While your cakes are baking, fill three round cake pans lined with plastic wrap {for ease of getting the ice cream out once frozen} with ice cream.  Let the ice cream sit out a little to soften it up.  I like to smoosh it down into the pan with my hands and then lick my fingers!  TMI?  Sorry...  Then cover with a layer of toffee and cover with plastic wrap.

Stick in the freezer.  I usually make the ice cream layers the day before I plan to assemble and serve the cake so the ice cream has time to freeze into place. 

Once cake is baked and ice cream is frozen, layer ice cream on top of each cake layer.

See my cake split...that is a-okay!

Place cake back in the freezer to firm up a bit...it may start melting as you assemble.  Once hardened, frost the cake with slightly thawed cool whip. 

Cover with toffee.

Ta-da!  Yum!

The cut layers are even more impressive!

It is a lot of steps but once you do it the first time, you will realize it is super easy!  You can also use this as a base for other ice cream cakes {though I think this one is my favorite!}.  Instead of toffee you can use other candies or cookie crumbles.  

So, if you could create your favorite ice cream cake combo, what would it be?