Frozen Ice Cream Cake (Vegan Option)

This was originally a sponsored post for my vegan ice cream cake. Make it vegan or with regular ice cream, and you’ll love it! Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

Mister Man is no longer interested in cake for his birthday. So this year, he asked to have a certain frozen treat that Little Miss can’t have due to her dairy allergy.

We offered him a cake version of that certain frozen treat that shall not be named, which he declined – but Little Miss was intrigued. The problem, however, is Little Miss’s dairy allergy.

A traditional version was just not going to happen for her. Fortunately, she has me for her mom (I say with all modesty), and the promise of this vegan ice cream cake has had her on her best behavior all week.

Of course, Little Miss isn’t the only one we know with allergies. And those allergies don’t just cover dairy, so this vegan ice cream cake is also gluten free, soy free, corn free, and vegan. And did I mention that it tastes amazing?

That said, if you don’t have allergies? Make it with your favorite ice cream instead!

When I cut the very first piece for photos (something I did with no one around because otherwise people start clamoring around me and rushing me), I planned to take just a bite to try it.

I’m not showing how I pieced the frozen dream cake back together for dessert with my entire family because let’s just say that there’s more than just one bite missing. Holy cats is this good!

To make this fantastic vegan ice cream cake, you need just a few other ingredients. For the magic chocolate crunchies in the center of the frozen dream cake, grab some gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies, dark chocolate, coconut oil, and agave. The whipped topping needs just powdered sugar, vanilla, and two cans of coconut milk.

If you aren’t gluten free or vegan, go with your traditional Oreo’s and honey in place of the agave.

Looking for more unique cake recipes? Check out some of my favorites at the bottom of this article.

Ice Cream Cake Pro Tips:

• Whenever making a frozen cake like this, you want to use a springform pan. The springform pan makes it easy to release the sides of the cake. Bonus? Use parchment paper or a sheet of wax paper to line the bottom of the springform pan, which makes it that much easier to remove the ice cream cake when it’s done and place it on your serving plate to decorate and enjoy.

• Make sure you leave a border of your ice cream when you place that layer of magic chocolate crunchies. You want the two layers of your frozen treat to be touching. If your magic chocolate crunchies go all the way to the edge, your ice cream cake layers won’t adhere to each other and your cake will slide around. No bueno!

• Make sure you freeze your layers before moving to the next step. Leave yourself two days for this project. Though each step just takes a few minutes, you want everything completely frozen before moving on to create clean layers. Two to three hours is sufficient time between steps, but I tend to do a step and leave it for most of the day or overnight just because I get busy.
• When you’re ready to remove the springform pan from your ice cream cake, make sure the very edge of the pan is warm so it separates cleanly and doesn’t stick to the springform pan or rip away. The easiest way to do that? Use your kitchen sponge. Get it a little damp (squeeze out excess water) and place it in the microwave for 30 seconds until it’s hot but you can still grasp it. Run the sponge around the outside of the springform pan until it cools, flipping the side of the sponge touching the springform pan periodically.

• Don’t worry if your ice cream cake doesn’t look perfect when you first remove it from the springform pan. Your whipped topping will fix it. Frosting fixes anything!

• Before you place your ice cream cake onto your plate to decorate, cut strips of parchment paper and use them to line the plate. Once you’ve finished decorating the cake and it’s refrozen, carefully pull them out. This leaves you with a clean plate and makes it look that much more professional.

• Because your topping is frozen, when you first pull it from the freezer after applying your frosting, use a knife to carefully cut around the edge of the frosting – being careful to not cut through the parchment paper – to give it a clean edge and remove any excess. If you decide you “have” to eat that portion, I won’t blame you.

• When cutting your ice cream cake, make sure to use a hot, sharp knife. This gives you clean edges and makes it easy to cut. The simplest way is to fill a glass with hot water from the tap and dip your knife in it between each cut. Make sure you have a towel handy to quickly wipe the excess water from the knife before cutting.

How to Make Your Vegan Ice Cream Cake

Make the chocolate crunchies

Using the above tips, this is an easy cake to make. The magic chocolate crunchies (which you have to include in this frozen dream cake because they’re as much fun to say as they are to eat) can be made ahead of time, and I also stick my two cans of coconut milk in the fridge when I start so I don’t forget to do so later.

I love how easy it is to find gluten free chocolate sandwich cookies now (they’ve always been dairy free, but gluten free rocks!), and for this recipe, you’ll scrape out the filling from them. What you do with that filling is up to you….

Place the chocolate sandwich cookies (sans filling) into the bowl of your food processor and pulse until they form crumbles. In a small saucepan, add the dark chocolate and coconut oil and turn the heat to low.

Both chocolate and coconut oil melt at relatively low temperatures, so you don’t need much heat. Stir together until melted, then remove from the heat and add your agave before stirring again.

Add about half the chocolate mixture to your cookie crumbles and pulse again to combine. The mixture should look a little wet but not be dripping with moisture. Add a little more if needed. This does not need to be exact, and you’ll save the extra for decorating your cake later. 

Assemble the vegan ice cream cake

Once your magic chocolate crunchies are made, you’re ready to start assembling your cake. Pull out the first layer for your frozen dream cake, and let the ice cream soften on the counter.

If you’re in a hurry, you can put this into a glass bowl and put it in the microwave to defrost for 30 seconds at a time, making sure you stir between each jaunt into the microwave to ensure you don’t heat it too much. You want it just soft enough that you can stir it.

Once it’s to that point, quickly assemble your springform pan. As mentioned in the tips above, I like to line the pan with a piece of parchment paper, but this is not necessary if you don’t have any. You don’t need to grease your pan at all. Simply scoop the ice cream into the center of the springform pan and use a spatula to smooth it to the edges.

Once it’s smoothed, sprinkle your magic chocolate crunchies over the ice cream, being sure to leave a border around the edge with no crunchies. There’s no need to press them into the ice cream. Once that is set, place the pan in the freezer for at least three hours to ensure it’s fully frozen.

After your first layer is fully frozen, you’ll repeat the steps with the second flavor of your ice cream. Note that some flavors will soften faster than others, so keep an eye out.

Once the second layer is smoothed on, return your vegan ice cream cake to the freezer for another three hours.

Make the “frosting”

When you’re ready to top the cake with the whipped topping, remove the coconut milk cans from the fridge. Once you open them, you’ll want to drain the coconut water and just retain the solid coconut milk for this recipe.

Add the coconut milk to your mixing bowl and whip. Once it is somewhat softened and is starting to lighten in texture, add the vanilla and a quarter cup of powdered sugar and mix again, starting at low speed so the powdered sugar doesn’t fly out.

Whip for two to three minutes, then add another quarter cup of powdered sugar and repeat. This won’t become completely stiff, but that’s fine.

Once the whipped topping is thickened and all the ingredients are well incorporated, start to frost your vegan ice cream cake. As with any frosting, add it to the center of the top of your cake and use a spatula to smooth it from the center out. Once you have it frosted, return to the freezer for another hour.

The last step is decorating it. Little Miss decided she wanted a “Dalmatian” frozen dream cake instead of the “zebra” I had originally envisioned, so we added polka dots of the remaining chocolate mixture we made earlier all over the cake.

If you want to make a more traditional zebra striped pattern, instead of flicking the fork at your cake, dip the fork in the chocolate and drizzle is quickly across the frozen dream cake or use a chocolate dipping tool. It will harden almost instantly.

Lastly, carefully remove the parchment paper you have lining the edges of your cake to keep the serving plate clean. If you aren’t serving immediately, cover with plastic wrap and return to the freezer. This shouldn’t sit out for more than five minutes at a time.

Have you ever tried a vegan ice cream cake?

More unique cake recipes:

• Kit Kat Cake
• S’mores cake
• Strawberry lemonade icebox cake
• Matcha cupcakes
• Molten lava cake
• Churro tres leches poke cake
• Frangelico pound cake with Nutella glaze
• Swedish meringue cake

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