Ice Cream Cake

An Ice cream cake is a cake incorporating ice cream. A popular form is a three-layer cake, with a layer of ice cream between two layers of cake. The term may also simply refer to ice cream presented in the form of a cake, or a combination of ice cream and cookies.

In a typical assembly, the cake component is baked in the normal way, cut to shape if necessary, and then frozen. Ice cream is shaped in a mold as appropriate, and these components are then assembled while frozen. Whipped cream is often used for frosting, as a compliment to the two other textures, and because many typical frostings will not adhere successfully to frozen cake. The whole cake is then kept frozen until a little before serving, when it is allowed to thaw until it can be easily sliced but not so much as to melt the ice cream.

It is related to Baked Alaska in that, when cut open, the ice cream is something of a surprise inside the baked cake. Unlike a Baked Alaska, however, the ice cream never goes into the oven.

Ice cream cake is a popular party food, often eaten at birthdays and weddings, particularly in North America and Australia. It is not as well known in Europe.

Ice cream cake was originally made from biscuits and cream. Victorians made desserts called bombes, which consisted of ice cream and fruit in fancy molds. Sometimes these desserts were lined with cake or biscuits. Ice cream cake recipes dating to the 1870s have also been found.