Make Easier Ice Cream Cakes With One Store-Bought Trick

Ice cream cake is truly the best of all dessert worlds. Not only does it eliminate the hard choice between ice cream and cake, it's a crowd-pleaser that doesn't require any baking. Kids love 'em, and let's be honest — so do adults. They store beautifully in the freezer until they're ready to serve, making dinner party planning a breeze. The only drawback is that ice cream cakes can be tricky to assemble from scratch. If you don't work fast enough, the ice cream will melt and lose its volume and texture. With one store-bought trick, however, you can create a professional-looking ice cream cake in minutes with perfectly even layers. All you need are some ice cream sandwiches.

There are a couple of ways you can tackle an ice cream cake using sandwiches, but there's no right or wrong method. The goal is to make layers of ice cream and cookies, so you'll need one or two boxes of sandwiches, some whipped cream or store-bought whipped topping (or alternatively, softened ice cream), and some toppings like crushed cookies, fudge sauce, or caramel.

Making an ice cream cake with ice cream sandwiches couldn't be easier. Start by layering the sandwiches on the bottom of your preferred cake pan, then spread a generous layer of your preferred whipped topping, or softened ice cream. Once you have that layer in place, give the sides of the cake pan a couple of firm taps to release any air bubbles and to work the filling into the cracks between the sandwiches.

With the first layer finished, you can keep layering the cake in exactly the same way — or, if you want to add different flavors and textures, sprinkle some sundae toppings between layers. You can also use different flavors of ice cream sandwiches, like grasshopper, mint, and mocha; just choose flavors that complement each other. Once it's all stacked up, frost the ice cream cake with more whipped cream, chocolate glaze, or try using meringue and then toasting it with a torch.

When the cake is finished, pop it in the freezer for at least an hour before serving so the ingredients can harden. When it's time to serve, let the ice cream cake soften in the refrigerator for 45 minutes, then it's ready to slice.