Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
It’s so simple to make this Ice Cream Sandwich Cake using pre-made ice cream sandwiches, whipped topping, and your favorite toppings.
Grab a cake pan, and start layering in the ice cream sandwiches! That’s really all you need to do, and the resulting ice cream sandwich dessert is delicious and impressive.
This recipe for ice cream sandwich cake is perfect for birthdays and is easy to customize with your favorite flavors, add-ins, and ice cream syrups.
When you want a simple recipe that you can serve at a summer birthday party or family get together, but you don’t feel like baking, this is the perfect recipe.
Ice Cream Sandwich Cake is an easy no-bake cake option, and you won’t even need to pull out your mixer, or wash any bowls!
You could also use butter pecan ice cream sandwiches to make it. Or, get creative and use strawberry ice cream sandwiches.
I also enjoy making homemade Choco Tacos or a big batch of no churn Cotton Candy Ice Cream for birthdays!
Homemade ice cream cake with ice cream sandwiches is creamy, cold, and decadent, packed with fudge, caramel, and a variety of the best ice cream toppings.
It will only take about 20 minutes to put this together, and you can be eating a big slice of ice cream sandwich cake in just a few hours, so what are we waiting for?
Why You’re Going to Love this Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
Ice Cream Sandwiches make an inexpensive ice cream cake.
I don’t know if you’ve tried to purchase an ice cream cake lately, but I saw a Carvel ice cream cake at the store with a $30 price tag on it the other day!
There’s no reason to spend money like that when you can make an ice cream cake for the cost of a few boxes of ice cream sandwiches, a tub of cool whip, and some candy you probably already have stashed in the cupboard.
This recipe is super easy!
Ingredients in Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
Ice Cream Sandwiches – Vanilla ice cream, sandwiched between two giant chocolate cookies makes the perfect already layered ingredients for an ice cream cake.
Whipped Topping – Cool Whip, or another similar prepared whipped topping is the middle layer of this ice cream cake, and the topping. You can also use fresh whipped cream if you’d like.
Hot Fudge Sauce – Use hot fudge that you buy at the store, or make your own hot fudge sauce if you’d like the cake to have a little something homemade inside. You can also use chocolate syrup.
Caramel Sauce – Find this next to the hot fudge sauce. You won’t even need the whole jar, and can save the rest for a delicious caramel sundae later. Or make your own caramel sauce to use.
Toppings – We are topping our ice cream sandwich ice cream cake with colorful M&Ms, chopped mini peanut butter cups, and chopped Oreo cookies.
How to Make an Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
This cake works well in an 8×8 square pan. You can double the ingredients to fill a 9×13 pan too!
- First, line the pan with parchment paper or wax paper. This will make it easy to remove the ice cream cake later and slice it into neat pieces. Leave some paper hanging over the edge to create handles.
- Place half of the ice cream sandwiches in a single layer in the pan, cutting them in half or thirds if needed to fill the entire pan.
- Spread half of the whipped topping over the ice cream sandwiches, and spread with a spoon or spatula to make a smooth whipped cream layer.
- Drizzle with half of the hot fudge and caramel sauces, and half of the candy and cookies.
- Repeat! Add another layer of ice cream sandwiches.
- Then the rest of the whipped topping, and the remaining syrups and toppings.
- Freeze the ice cream sandwich cake for at least two hours so that it hardens fully.
- Remove from the pan, slice into squares, and serve.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes. For the complete list of ingredients and instructions, please see the recipe below.
How to Store Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
I doubt you’ll have leftovers, but you can wrap the ice cream sandwich cake well with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and store in the freezer for up to 1 week.
This also means that you can make an ice cream sandwich cake up to 1 week ahead of time, which is always a good thing when you’re planning a party.
Tips for Making This Easy Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
Use quality ingredients – High-quality ice cream sandwiches will lead to a more delicious ice cream sandwich cake. If you want to get fancy, you can make homemade ice cream sandwiches, and then use them to make this cake!
Chill out – The ice cream sandwiches will soften as you build the cake, so be sure to put the whole ice cream cake back into the freezer for at least 2 hours before you want to serve it. This way everything will harden up again and the ice cream sandwich cake will be easy to slice.
You may need more or fewer ice cream sandwiches, depending on the size and shape of the ones you use. Mine were 1.5” x 5” rectangles, and I used 15 of them. If you need to cut the ice cream sandwiches to fill in spaces, feel free!
If you do need to cut the ice cream sandwiches, this is much easier to do when they are solid, directly from the freezer.
Make it Gluten Free – Look for gluten-free ice cream sandwiches and gluten-free Oreos.
Have Fun! Add extra toppings, an extra layer of ice cream (just use an extra deep baking dish), or get crafty and make ice cream sandwich cake in a round shape or a loaf pan. It’s very hard to mess this recipe up, so go ahead and experiment.
Do I Need to Thaw Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Before Serving?
Traditional ice cream cakes should sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes or longer before you’re ready to eat them. This thawing time allows the ice cream to soften and makes it easier to cut the cake.
With an ice cream sandwich ice cream cake, you don’t need to let it sit out at all, and definitely not for more than 5 minutes. Typically the ice cream inside of store-bought ice cream sandwiches is the type that will melt quickly.
Ice Cream Sandwich Cake Variations
Look for other flavors of ice cream sandwiches. I’ve seen neapolitan ice cream sandwiches, mint chocolate ice cream sandwiches, and even birthday cake ice cream sandwiches. Any of them will make a delicious and easy ice cream cake.
Try chocolate whipped topping. If you can’t find it at the store, use a whisk to mix chocolate sauce into the regular topping instead.
Swap the caramel sauce for melted peanut butter, and add chopped peanuts to the toppings. This would be delicious with chocolate ice cream sandwiches too.
Magic Shell either on top of the cake or in the center makes a tasty, chocolatey addition.
Add Maraschino Cherries. Trust me, they’re delicious on all ice cream desserts!
Get creative with different colored sprinkles, your favorite candy, or seasonal decorations to fit any theme.
How To Cut an Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
Give the cake just a few minutes to soften. Find a large kitchen knife, and run it under hot water. Wipe it dry with a towel, and then slice the cake with the warm knife.
It will cut like butter!
Rinse the knife with hot water and repeat the process until you’ve cut the whole cake into pieces for everyone to enjoy.
More Homemade Ice Cream Cake Recipes
This ice cream cake made with ice cream sandwiches is a delicious dessert, and a brilliant shortcut recipe. But – If you’d like to make a true ice cream cake from scratch, check out our Ice Cream Cake and Oreo Ice Cream Cake recipes.
Readers also love this Mexican Ice Cream.
You might also enjoy making an Ice Cream Pie! Baked Alaska is also fun. Ice Cream Pizza is a new favorite of ours.
Looking for something really easy? Learn how to make the best Chocolate Milkshakes, or a classic Root Beer Float.
Our Favorite Ice Cream Making Tools:
- Cuisinart 2QT Ice Cream Maker – Works with ice cream, sorbets, and frozen yogurt.
- Ice Cream Scoop – Make sure you have a good ice cream scoop. This is one of our favorites.
- Ice Cream Containers – We love keeping a couple of ice cream containers on hand for when we make homemade ice cream.
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Ice Cream Sandwich Cake
Ingredients
- 15 vanilla ice cream sandwiches mine are 5×1.5″ rectangles for reference
- 8 oz whipped topping such as Cool Whip or homemade whipped cream
- 1/4 cup hot fudge
- 1/4 cup caramel sauce
- 1/2 cup mini M&M chocolate candies
- 1/2 cup chopped Oreos or other chocolate sandwich cookies, from 6 Oreos cookies
- 1/2 cup chopped peanut butter cups from 8 mini peanut butter cups
Instructions
- Line an 8×8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper or wax paper.
- Place half of the ice cream sandwiches in the pan, cutting them in half or thirds as needed to fill the entire pan.
- Spread half of the whipped topping over the ice cream sandwiches. Spread with a spoon or spatula.
- Drizzle half of the hot fudge and caramel sauce over the whipped cream topping. Sprinkle with half of the candy and cookies.
- Repeat with another layer of ice cream sandwiches.
- Top with remaining whipped topping, hot fudge, caramel sauce, candies and cookies.
- Freeze for at least 2 hours.
- Slice and serve.
