ice cream cake Archives

Mint Brownie Ice Cream Cake

Sometimes, we need a surprise up our sleeves. An extra card in our deck, a furry rabbit hiding in our hat- anything to make our audience think we’re all but magical. Friends, I may be short on trick mirrors and trap doors, but this super simple, make-ahead mint brownie ice cream cake is for sure going to be the disappearing act at your next dinner party. It’s that awesome. So let’s get to it!

You probably already know how much I love no-churn ice cream. There’s always a quart or two in my freezer, because the only thing better than homemade treats is one that is only three ingredients and takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. It makes me feel domestic and awesome, and we all need that sometimes, right? But when I’m looking for a showstopping dessert to share at a gathering of some sort, I want something with a bit more pizzazz, you know? Something that makes everyone lick their plate and exclaim, “SWEET MERCY, WHERE IS THE ANGEL THAT MADE THIS!?”

Mint brownie ice cream cake is the best of both worlds. The cake is delicious to taste and easy on the eyes, but with only three steps, this recipe is also nearly fool proof, with multiple options for simplifying and making ahead. Let me just go ahead and give you the run down.

Step One: Make the Brownies.

If you’re reading this baking blog, it’s safe to assume you’ve made brownies before. I’ve included the recipe for an easy brownie that I use for frozen desserts, but you could totally use a box brownie mix or even (gasp!) store bought ones. I won’t tell. And your taste testers will have no clue. Promise.

Step Two: Make the Ice Cream.

If there is something easier than making no-churn ice cream, I don’t want to know. Pour the sweetened condensed milk and heavy cream into your mixing bowl and you’re literally already halfway there. For this mint brownie ice cream cake, we split our ingredients in half to make two flavors (because options, duh): a chocolate ice cream and a mint chip ice cream. If you don’t like mint chip ice cream, you can lose that flavor extract and use hazelnut instead. Or how about coconut? Almond? Root beer? Whatever, just use whatever flavor you want, ok? If you’re looking for an ice cream substitute though, I can’t help you, and honestly, we are probably no longer friends. Just kidding. We can still be friends. But don’t push it.

Step Three: Assemble Your Cake.

This is probably the hardest part of preparing this mint brownie ice cream cake. If you’re like me and are a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the looks of your treats, this step will require some attention from you. At this point, you have the option of preparing a chocolate ganache to layer on the inside and garnish the outside of the cake with. You can also crush up some chocolate sandwich cookies if you want an extra layer of crunch in your masterpiece.

Either way, you layer the ice cream with the prepared brownies, and before you can say “Bippity Boppity Boo,” your bag full of ingredients has transformed into this fab mint brownie ice cream cake that will impress the glass slippers off of everyone you know. So in short, if you want to make this cake 100% from scratch, you will prepare your brownies, whip up some ice cream, and layer the two with some homemade ganache and whipped cream. But if you want to take easy street, you simply acquire brownies, make some ice cream, and dump it all into a pan with some store bought fudge sauce and chocolate cookies. Literally, the hardest part of making this mint brownie ice cream cake is waiting patiently for it to freeze up. Literally.

More Month of Chocolate

Our #monthofchocolate extravaganza has been pretty fun these past few weeks. Be sure to look back at the past few blog posts for other chocolaty goodness and recipe inspiration. Somehow two mint chocolate recipes made it into the lineup, which either means I really like mint, or I’m secretly pregnant again (just kidding, Mom, I am not pregnant. Don’t get too excited.) March may have a bit less chocolate in it, but like any self-respecting addict, I won’t be able to stay away for too long. Give this mint brownie ice cream cake a try, and let me know how it goes!

I strongly recommend going ahead and making it this week, wrapping it in foil, and saving it in your freezer for a rainy day. You never know when you might need that fancy trick up your sleeve. Cheers to you and have a terrific Tuesday!

You might also like:

Mint Chocolate Sandwich Cookies

Peppermint Icebox Cake

Confetti Ice Cream Cake

No Churn Mocha Brownie Fudge Ice Cream

Mint Brownie Ice Cream Cake

Print Recipe

This mint brownie ice cream cake features a mint chip ice cream and a fudgy brownie layer!

Author: Kate Wood
Prep Time: 30
Cook Time: 30
Total Time: 240
Yield: 9 Servings
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

For the brownies (see notes for shortcut):

4 large eggs
1 cup sugar, sifted
1 cup brown sugar, sifted
8 ounces melted butter (2 sticks)
1 1/4 cups cocoa, sifted
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

For the ice cream:

1 (14 ounce) can of sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
Green food coloring, if desired
2 ounces finely chopped semisweet chocolate or mini chocolate chips

For the cake topping:

1 cup crushed chocolate sandwich cookies
Either 1–8 ounce container of non-dairy whipped topping (Cool Whip) or
1 cups heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the ganache (see notes for shortcut):

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped or chocolate chips
4 ounces heavy cream

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Instructions

To prepare the brownies:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees (300 for dark nonstick pans) and spray your light pan with baking spray. This cake can be prepared in an 9” springform pan, or, to prepare a loaf-shaped ice cream cake as I did in my photos, bake the brownie batter in two 9×5″ bread loaf pans. You’ll only use one pan worth of brownies if you opt for the loaf cake, so you can save the rest for later. 🙂
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the eggs until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat to combine. Add the remaining ingredients and stir on low just until combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and bake until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Bake time is about 45 minutes but will differ depending on the size of pan. Once a toothpick comes out clean, you’re done! Allow the brownies to cool completely before assembling the cake. You can speed up this process by cooling them in the fridge, or by preparing the day before.

To prepare the chocolate ice cream:

Pour half (7 ounces) of the sweetened condensed milk to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the cocoa powder and vanilla and beat until well combined and no lumps remain. Add one cup of the heavy whipping cream and beat the mixture until stiff peaks form. Set aside in the fridge while you prepare the remaining elements.

To prepare the mint chocolate chip ice cream:

Combine the remaining cup of heavy whipping cream, the remaining sweetened condensed milk, and the peppermint extract, and whip until stiff peaks form. Add two drops (more, if needed) of green food coloring towards the end of the whipping process, if desired. Fold in the chocolate or chocolate chips and set aside until ready to assemble the cake.

To prepare the cake topping:

In the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, whip the cream on low speed until it is frothy. Increase speed to high, beating until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and the extract and beat until stiff peaks form. Set aside until ready to assemble cake.

To prepare the chocolate ganache:

Place the chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Heat the cream in the microwave or on the stovetop until almost bubbling and steaming. Pour directly on top of the chocolate and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Allow to sit for about five minutes. Stir with a whisk or rubber spatula until the chocolate comes together and is a smooth ganache. You can heat briefly in the microwave in 5 second increments if it remains a bit lumpy. If the ganache sets out too long, it will thicken back up, so just reheat in 10-15 second increments as needed.

To assemble the cake:

Line a loaf pan or an 8” springform pan with plastic wrap, leaving several inches worth of wrap extending over the sides. This will make the removal process easier.
If preparing in a loaf pan, spread the mint ice cream evenly over the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle chocolate cookie crumbles over top and drizzle in some ganache or fudge sauce. Top with a layer of brownie (see notes). Spread the chocolate ice cream over top and smooth out. Cover with a layer of plastic wrap and freeze for at least 6 hours or overnight, if possible.
When ready to frost, remove the cake from the pan to a serving dish. Peel off all of the plastic wrap and cover with whipped cream or topping. Drizzle the ganache over top and allow to freeze for 2-4 hours or until frozen solid, if desired. Alternatively, you can serve immediately, but keep in mind the hot ganache may melt the cake some. Serve frozen and keep covered with plastic wrap and foil to maintain freshness for up to a week.
If you want to prepare the cake in a round springform pan, I recommend layering as follows: brownies, mint ice cream, chocolate cookie crumbles, ganache, chocolate ice cream. Then freeze your cake and frost with whipped cream as desired. Really you can assemble the cake in any manner you like, but the cake is easiest to cut when the brownies are toward the bottom.

Notes

Feel free to use boxed brownies or store-bought prepared brownies. I prefer Ghiradelli Dark Chocolate Brownie mix when using boxed brownies.
I recommend preparing your brownies in the pan you plan to assemble the cake in so that the brownie is the same size as the cake. However, you can also crumble your prepared brownies into the cake. It won’t make a difference on the final outcome of the cake.
Instead of the chocolate ganache, you can substitute in a store bought hot fudge sauce. Melt slightly in the microwave in 15 second intervals until the sauce is melted but not too hot. Allow to cool slightly before pouring on your cake.
You don’t have to use crumbled chocolate cookies in the cake, but the crunch is not. Alternatively, you could use some mini chocolate chips, Thin Mint Cookies, or even chocolate graham crackers!

Black Forest Ice Cream Cake

6 Comments / Cakes, Frozen Desserts

Guys. Please tell me I’m not the only one. Please, please tell me that I am not actually the sorriest person on the planet.

The other day, I was vacuuming the nursery when I came upon a stubborn bundle of fuzz that refused to be sucked into the vacuum even after rolling over it five or six (read: fifteen) times. Instead of tossing the fuzzie in the trash, I picked up the little guy with my toes and then dropped it back on the ground to attempt to vacuum it up from a different angle.

WHAT. IS. THAT.

What degree of laziness does one have to have if they are willing to relocate grunge on floor to avoid a short walk to the garbage can to throw it out?

[Throws hands in the air] I disgust myself.

But this is the kind of stuff that is all over my life right now. With a handful of balls in the air and more than a few hats that I wear on a daily basis, I find myself halfway-ing a good number of areas of my life. I work out, but I fail to eat right. I buy a birthday gift but forget to mail the card. I play with my babies, but get tired and end up relying on Mickey Mouse to drag us through the final hours of the day. I’m still trying to get the hang of balancing all of the things that I want to make time for and as a result, some things just don’t get the attention they require.

Between work and babies and all of the other things that end up receiving little nuggets of my time, this blog is often one of the many forgotten outcasts of my life. Since starting this little corner of the interwebz, I have had the intentions of working on a number of photography and web-based skills (computer hacking skills…nun-chuck skills…. bow-hunting skills), but that list of tasks has long been shuffled under a mound of other things. Finally, this past weekend, I set aside some time to tick a few things off of my list and I am thrilled to share the results with you.

I made a stop motion film!

Okay, I understand this is not a huge deal and I can totally hear every teenager on the planet whispering, “that’s so easy” under their breath. Also, there’s no need to point out the flaws because I totally see them. But for me, this took a bit of learning and I am so excited to have even attempted it. I’d officially like the thank The Academy, my Canon camera, and both of my babies (for napping at the same time last Saturday) for giving me the opportunity to shoot and stitch this little guy together.

You’ll see that the video is a stop motion film of the building of a naked black forest ice cream cake. Naked cakes are my favorite to make, so naturally, naked ice cream cakes are pretty much the center of my universe. I love them almost as much as I love my own children. Not really, but close.

This black forest ice cream cake was created using my favorite chocolate cake recipe and a frozen, ice cream-esque filling that I adapted from Ina Garten’s mocha icebox cake. While a traditional black forest cake is filled with Kirsch soaked cherries and lightly sweetened whipped cream, my version boasts boozy bourbon cherries (because the South, y’all!), hot fudge drizzles, and simple, creamy layers of ice cream. The whole thing is stacked together and left in the freezer for a rainy day.

You can totally shortcut any and all portions of this recipe and substitute store-bought favorites. Instead of homemade cake, try a box mix. Instead of making the ice cream filling, set a quart of your favorite grocery store variety on the counter to thaw out slightly before making the cake. I always have a jar of fudge sauce in my fridge and try to prepare the cakes the night before, so day-of labor is minimal at best.

I recommend that you read through the full list of instructions before starting. The process is simple in nature, but lengthy in detail so make sure you know what you’re doing before you get started. Also, I’ve included a couple of snapshots in this post to illustrate the two methods of building a naked cake. Have fun watching the short little movie, and I sincerely hope it inspires you to make a naked cake of your own. Happy Monday!

Black Forest Ice Cream Cake

Needed:

3 prepared 6″ chocolate cake layers (I bake a half batch of this recipe in 3- 6″ pans)

1 recipe of ice cream filling, unfrozen (see below)

1 recipe of bourbon soaked cherries (See below)

1/2 cup chocolate fudge sauce (I like this recipe, but store bought is fine)

Directions:

1. Line a 6″ cake ring with an acetate sheet collar (see notes). Alternatively, you can line the sides of a 6″ round cake pan with a collar of wax paper or parchment paper to use as a guide/mold for building your cake. This is not a necessary step, but certainly makes building your cake much easier. If using the cake pan, line the bottom with a small piece of parchment to ensure easy removal from pan.

2. Place one leveled cake layer in the bottom of the cake ring. Using a pastry brush, soak the first layer of cake with approximately 1/3 of the cherry syrup. Smooth 1 cup of the ice cream mixture over the top of the first cake layer. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cherries on top of the ice cream and then drizzle with 1/4 cups of hot fudge sauce. Repeat this process once.

3. Place the final cake layer on top of the built cake. Soak with the final third of cherry syrup and smooth 1-1/2 cups of the ice cream mixture on top.

4. Cover the cake loosely, and place in the freezer to set up for 4 hours or until firm.
5. Remove cake from freezer 10-15 minutes prior to serving for easy slicing. Uncut, the cake will keep in the freezer for 3 weeks.

Notes:

1. I use 3″ x 20″ wide acetate sheets to line my cake ring. As a result, I end up requiring two sheets total to cover the height of my cakes. See here for additional instructions on building cakes with acetate sheets.

2. If you prefer to not use acetate sheets and cake ring as a supportive mold, you can build the cake as I did in my video! Keep in mind that you have to work quickly as all that fluffy ice cream likes to squish out the sides.

Ice Cream Filling

Ingredients:

8 ounces of mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon of vanilla bean
2 tablespoons of good quality bourbon, optional (I use Blanton’s)

To prepare the no churn ice cream:

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the mascarpone, sugar, whipping cream, vanilla and bourbon. Whip with a whisk attachment until stiff peaks form. Set aside until ready to use in your cake.

Bourbon Soaked Cherries

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups (12 ounces) of stemmed and pitted dark cherries
2 tablespoons of good quality bourbon (I use Blanton’s)
2 tablespoons of granulated sugar

To prepare the cherries:

Roughly chop cherries into small bits. Place in a bowl and stir together with sugar and bourbon. Set aside for 30 minutes prior to use to allow the cherries, sugar, and bourbon to produce a syrup. When ready to use, strain the cherries from the syrup, reserving both for the cake. (Note: with this preparation the cherries freeze into icy bits of booze and fruit. If you’d prefer a sweeter, softer filling, you can cook the ingredients above with an additional 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch over low heat, stirring and smashing the cherries regularly until it has thickened to a jam-like consistency. Allow to cool before assembling with cake.)

Confetti Ice Cream Cake

7 Comments / Cakes, Frozen Desserts

Let’s slow clap for America. We’re screwing up a lot around here these days, but one area where Americans are consistently winning is birthdays. In my lifetime, I’ve been apart of very few birthday celebrations that didn’t include cake and I’m thinking that’s something I need to appreciate about my motherland today. An extra special shout out goes to those who celebrate with the quintessential American cake flavor- the one, the only, confetti cake. Is there anyone who doesn’t secretly love a confetti cake made straight from the box? I don’t think so. Is there anything more American than taking an already sweet cake batter and adding more sugar to it in the form of playful little sprinkles? Not a chance. So strap on your jean shorts and handlebar mustaches, because today’s cake is going out to the land of the free and the home of the brave. We’re making confetti ice cream cake.

‘Merica!

Christina Tosi, the genius pastry chef behind Milk Bar stores, makes these ridiculous layer cakes that I am obsessed with. They’re “naked”(meaning no exterior frosting) and often include one of my favorite flavor/texture elements, “crumbs.” You may have seen a few of my takes on a naked cake posted on social media here, here, or here. (Sidenote: if you really want to weird out your husband, mom, or best friend, call them and tell them you’re taking “nude” photos… the responses are pretty priceless.)

One of my favorite Milk Bar cakes is the birthday cake. I’ve made it a million times and it never disappoints. It’s sweet, fluffy, and perfectly reminiscent of the box confetti cake that we all know and love. The only thing, and I literally mean the ONLY thing, that could possibly take Milk Bar’s classic birthday cake to the next level is ice cream. Better yet- no churn ice cream. There aren’t many things in this world that make me feel the same degree of childlike nostalgia quite like confetti cake with a scoop of ice cream, so obviously, combining the two is a logical choice. Let’s get started.

Just like with Milk Bar’s confetti cake, we start by making the cake. We’re baking ours just like Tosi recommends in a jelly roll pan. While that’s in the oven, we will mix up the ingredients for the crumbs and have those ready to go into the oven when the cake is finished. Once the cake and crumbs are cooled to room temp, set out to make your ice cream and assemble the cake. Our no churn ice cream is made using a mix of cream cheese and whipped topping, but you can use homemade whipped cream if you’re feeling fancy. The instructions for this recipe appear to be pretty labor intensive, but the process is all fairly easy, particularly when spread out over the course of two days. You can check out the original recipe for Tosi’s birthday cake here for more detailed instructions on assembling the layer cake. Once the cake is assembled, you can let it party in the freezer for several days or even up to a couple of weeks! Nothing say “God Bless America” like having an ice cream cake in the freezer, ready for eating at any moment’s notice.

This recipe for confetti ice cream cake made with no churn ice cream is delicious and super fun to share with others! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.