Summer is in full swing and, for our family, that means hosting and attending parties of all kinds. I love entertaining at our home and I love getting to hang out with our friends at their homes as well. One of the best parts of getting together with friends and family is the food, and my favorite thing to share is dessert. But the reality is, the dog days of summer are here and the heat is no joke! If you’re like me, you can’t stand a scorching hot day and the idea of having to turn on your oven has you running for the hills. Lucky for you, there’s a simple summer dessert everyone will love — no cooking required.
Instead of turning up the heat, we’re cooling things down with a quick and easy ice cream cake. Thanks to Hudsonville Ice Cream, we were able to take one of our favorite recipes and recreate it with our favorite Hudsonville flavors. It’s so simple to put together, can be made ahead, and you can totally expand on the base recipe, which makes it so much fun! With a deep dish pan you can fill it with as many layers as you can fit — a third ice cream flavor, more cookies on top of the fudge, crushed peanut butter cups…whatever your ice-cream-and-and-sweets-loving heart desires! Trust me, this puts store-bought ice cream cakes to shame. You’ll never buy another one again.
Easy Ice Cream Cake
Serving size: 12 (more if you make the pieces smaller)
Prep time: 1 hour and 30 minutes to create, 12+ hours to freeze
Ingredients
- 1 carton Hudsonville Classic Chocolate ice cream, softened
- 1 carton Hudsonville Deer Traxx ice cream, softened
- 1 package of Oreos
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 ½ cups hot fudge (Sanders is our favorite)
- 1 container of frozen Cool Whip (or whipped topping of choice), softened
Instructions
- First step, make the crust. You’ll take a regular package of Oreos and place them into a food processor. Melt the butter and then mix it into the processed Oreos. Press firmly into a 13×9 pan. Make sure the Oreo mixture is pressed tightly into the pan. Place in the freezer for approximately 15 minutes.
- In the meantime, take out the Hudsonville Classic Chocolate ice cream and leave it on the counter for 5-10 minutes to soften it for easier spreading. Once softened, make sure there aren’t any lumps and then spread the ice cream onto the Oreo mixture, about 1 inch thick. Place back in the freezer for 15-30 minutes.
- Repeat step 2 with Hudsonville Deer Traxx Ice Cream on top of the Hudsonville Classic Chocolate ice cream. Place back into the freezer for 15-30 minutes.
- Warm hot fudge just enough to be pourable. Spread it over the last layer of ice cream. Place in the freezer for a minimum of 30 minutes.
- For the final layer, take the Cool Whip out and let it sit for at least 10 minutes. Spread onto the hot fudge and top with sprinkles. Cover with foil and place in the freezer overnight for a minimum of 12 hours.
- To serve, make sure you have a sharp knife.
Notes
- You can use any fun fillings you would like! Caramel sauce, peanut butter cups, more layers of Oreos. The possibilities are endless here.
- The prep time might seem like a lot but I promise you, it isn’t. If you make it the day before your event or even a couple days, you’re good to go. We chose to keep it in the freezer longer to make sure the layers were frozen.
- You can use whatever ice cream flavors you choose. We happen to love chocolate and peanut butter.
Make something sweet while beating the heat.
Whether you’re entertaining or attending your next pot luck, give yourself a break from the heat and whip up this easy ice cream cake. The ingredients are so flexible and you’re free to add as much or as little as you’d like! Hudsonville Ice Cream has so many flavors to choose from, making this dessert easy to customize. It’s sure to be a hit with kids and adults alike and I know everyone will appreciate the refreshing end to a hot summer day. I know we couldn’t get enough of it.
What flavors will you be incorporating into your ice cream cake? Use the Hudsonville Scoop Locator to find their many ice cream flavors at a grocery store near you! Don’t forget to snag your $2 off coupon HERE!
